Stratford Mayor Names New Fire Chief

STRATFORD, CT — Deputy Fire Chief and Fire Marshal Brian Lampart has been appointed as the new chief of the Stratford Fire Department, Mayor Laura R. Hoydick announced Tuesday. The appointment comes following the resignation earlier this month of chief Robert McGrath.

Lampart has served nearly 32 years in the Stratford Fire Department, beginning as a firefighter at the age of 19. He was appointed deputy fire marshal in 2000 and fire marshal in 2011. He previously served as interim fire chief in 2011 for six months. Lampart could not immediately be reached for comment, but the fire marshal's office confirmed his appointment as chief is on an interim basis.

“Brian Lampart brings a remarkable set of skills, talent and institutional knowledge to the post of Fire Chief,” Hoydick said in a news release. “I am looking forward to working with Brian and I am excited about this opportunity to work with him to make our great Fire Department the very best it can be. I thank him for accepting this challenging post, and we are all behind him as he begins this critical work.”

Deputy Chief John Gottfried recently retired, and a search is underway for a permanent replacement for that position. In the interim, Michael Hostetter, a former deputy fire chief for Stratford has been retained by the town on a temporary basis.