Beginning March 1, the Westlake Fire Department will have a new fire chief, following Mike Elliot's retirement.
Elliot is retiring from the department after 25 years, according to a department news release. He began as a volunteer in 1993 and was named chief in 2012.
The department's current assistant fire chief, David Wilson, will take over as chief. Wilson began as a volunteer in 1994. In 1997, he was hired as a full-time firefighter, then was promoted to lieutenant in 2000, district chief in 2004 and assistant chief in 2017.
Wilson holds a bachelor of science degree in fire service administration, and has the following certifications with the Texas Commission on Fire Protection: master firefighter, incident safety officer, fire inspector, fire service instructor II and many other fire service organizations. Most recently, he has obtained the chief fire officer designation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence, the press release stated.
"I know I'm leaving the department in good hands with Chief Wilson," Elliott said. "He has the respect and admiration of all the firefighters."
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