Zimmer to succeed Nofzinger as Upper Arlington fire chief
A 23-year member of the Upper Arlington Fire Division who worked his way up from a firefighter/paramedic to second in command will take over the top spot on the force in March.
Upper Arlington officials have announced that Assistant Fire Chief Christopher Zimmer will be promoted to chief, effective March 10.
Zimmer, who joined the UAFD as a firefighter/paramedic in 1999, will succeed Chief Lyn Nofziger, who plans to retire, effective March 10. Nofziger, a member of the department for 34 years, has been chief since the outset of 2017.
“I am looking forward to continuing to serve the community in this exciting leadership role and to supporting the men and women of the Fire Division who give so much to Upper Arlington each and every day,” Zimmer said. “I greatly appreciate the city manager’s confidence in me and the experiences I bring to my new role, and I am forever grateful to Chief Nofziger for his support and guidance over the past four years, helping to prepare me for success.”
Upper Arlington Finance Director Brent Lewis said Zimmer will be paid an annual base salary of $149,827.19 as chief. The city also will provide annual employment benefits to Zimmer, including the city’s share of his retirement pension and health, dental and life insurance coverage, valued at approximately $61,500, Lewis said.
According to information provided by the city, Zimmer spent his first 10 years of the UAFD as a firefighter/paramedic. From 2002-06, he also was president for the International Association of Firefighters Local 1521 and helped negotiate collective-bargaining agreements between the city and the union.
Zimmer was promoted to fire-prevention lieutenant in 2009. In that role, his duties included conducting fire-safety inspections for commercial structures and new construction projects, as well as assisting with plan reviews of architectural drawings for fire detection and suppression systems of those buildings.
During that time, Zimmer also was the city’s primary fire investigator.
In 2015, Zimmer became lieutenant for the division’s Ladder 72 One Unit. According to information provided by the city, he supervised a team of firefighters, leading their training programs while also taking part in emergency responses.
In 2017, Zimmer was promoted to battalion captain, where his supervisory responsibilities were expanded to include being incident commander for larger-scale emergency situations and taking on some budgeting duties for the UAFD. He also was charged with developing standard operating procedures for the division, investigating and addressing personnel complaints and working with a UAFD team that transitioned the division’s in-house 911 dispatching services to the Northwest Regional Emergency Community Center in Dublin.
Zimmer was promoted to assistant fire chief in 2018, supervising three battalion captains “to ensure uniform emergency response and resource allocation for the city’s two fire stations and three shifts of 48 uniform personnel,” a release from the city stated.
As assistant fire chief, Zimmer has provided strategic planning and operations analysis for the department, served as the its public information officer, managed hiring of new employees and led planning and oversight of Upper Arlington’s emergency operations center and emergency management plan.
In addition to firefighter and paramedic certifications, Zimmer is a state-certified fire instructor, fire inspector and hazardous materials operator, according to the city. He also is a recent graduate of the Leadership Upper Arlington program and has been an Upper Arlington resident since joining the UAFD in 1999.
“We selected Chris after an extensive search that attracted applications from around Ohio,” City Manager Steve Schoeny said. “His extensive experience and understanding of the Upper Arlington Fire Division, the city organization and the community we serve stood out as key strengths.
“Chris has accomplished much during his career with Upper Arlington, and I am confident he will continue the legacy of exceptional service and leadership established by his predecessors.”
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