East Hampton Town Board Appoints David "Buzzy" Browne to Chief Fire Marshal

The East Hampton Town Board appointed David B. Browne as the chief fire marshal during a meeting on Thursday night. Browne, a fire marshal for seven years, is filling the vacancy left by Mike Johnson, who retired in the fall.

He received a round of applause from the audience. "Thank you to the board for the vote of confidence," Browne said, adding that his predecessor had set a high bar that he hoped to reach.

The appointment to the Civil Service title comes after a tough year. While , a firefighter helping with the overhaul fell from the second story on top of Browne. In fact, his appointment came on the eve of a surgery related to that injury. On Friday, doctors will attempt to repair some nerve damage in his arm and fingers.

He suffered four bulged discs, two herniated, a broken collar bone, and a torn rotator cuff, in addition to the nerve damage in the accident. He was out of work for five months, and came back to work in September, though was still undergoing physical therapy.

In an interview in November, after , Browne said he was most upset for the time he lost with his two children. "I have a two year old and a five year old at home, I couldn't pick up and hold for quite some time," he said.

With his children in tow on Thursday night, Browne was unanimously voted in to head the town's office of fire prevention, on a provisional basis, starting Monday. His annual salary will be $72,000. Jim Dunlop will serve as assistant fire marshal.

Thomas Baker, a fire marshal, said, "He's been a great guy to work with. He's always upbeat and keeps the office lively. That's important sometimes given what we do."

Baker expects that Browne will be in the office on a part-time basis after the holiday, doing paperwork, while he heals. He said, "We're looking forward to getting our group together." 

Known as Buzzy, Browne is also a former chief of the .