HONOLULU (KHON2) — The Maui County Department of Fire & Public Safety (DFPS) announced the selection of Fire Chief Brad Ventura on Wednesday, Sept. 15. Chief Ventura will take command of MFD on Friday, Oct. 1.

The Maui Fire and Public Safety Commission was responsible for the selection process.

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Chief Ventura is a 19-year veteran of MFD and served in many capacities, starting as a Firefighter I in Kahului and before he moved to Firefighter II.

He was promoted to Firefighter III in 2011 and then served in the Health and Safety Bureau, Ladder 3 and Hazmat 10.

Chief Ventura was promoted to the rank of captain in 2015 and served in Napili before being selected to serve as deputy fire chief in 2018.

According to the Maui County DFPS, “Chief Ventura was instrumental while serving as an instructor of many firefighting disciplines throughout his career. These disciplines include: Vehicle Extrication, ICS, AllHazards Incident Management, Hazardous Materials, and Rescue Systems.”

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Chief Ventura graduated from HP Baldwin High School in 1993 before going on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration at Hawaii Pacific University in 1997. He is married to his wife, Emily, and has two daughters.