"The city of Hallandale Beach has prepared me to take what I learned here and take it over and be part of Miramar," said Growick, who worked for Hallandale Beach for more than 22 years. "I will actually be conducting more plan examinations now since Hallandale Beach is built out."
Growick, 44, who began his new job as Miramar's assistant fire marshal July 14, will be responsible for reviewing plans for new construction and remodeling projects. He also will supervise four fire inspectors in the fast growing city of 87,000 residents.
The number of inspectors in Miramar is double the number that Growick supervised in Hallandale Beach, a city of about 34,000 with little space left for development.
"He will do a lot of plans review, meetings with engineers, architects, contractors, code issues, be in charge of the four inspectors, making sure they get their work done and fill in for me at times," said Miramar Fire Marshal Maurice Majszak, who is Growick's supervisor.
Fire inspectors make sure that buildings meet fire prevention code requirements.
In Miramar, the inspectors are responsible for conducting annual inspections of about 1,500 commercial buildings and apartment and condominium complexes.
The inspectors, according to Majszak, also review about 1,600 new construction and remodeling plans a year.
Majszak said he looks forward to having Growick on his staff.
"He is very professional and interacts well with others," said Majszak, who has been with the city for five years. "Our growth is tremendous and each inspector has a minimum of 10 [new] buildings where some can be [as large as] a 63-unit complex. With him here, it will help to reduce the workload and to facilitate the process."
After serving as Miramar's assistant fire marshal for three years, Majszak was promoted to fire marshal in March 2002.
Due to a reorganization of the department, the assistant's position was left vacant until Growick was hired, said Michael Conlan, Miramar's division chief of administrative services.
"The position was included in last year's budget, and we have an opportunity to fill it with a qualified person," Majszak said.
Growick will simultaneously receive his pension from Hallandale Beach, which is 75 percent of his former pay, and his new salary in Miramar.
He started with Hallandale Beach Fire-Rescue in March 1981 as a firefighter/emergency medical technician, and became a fire inspector in 1984. He was promoted to fire marshal in 1994.
"I will miss the friendships, not just the employees but the citizens, who were great even when we had to enforce [the violations]," Growick said.
Most fire code violations in Hallandale Beach are relatively minor, such as unlit exit lights and fire extinguishers past their usable date or overdue for service, he said. He said that, progressively over the years, he was finding fewer violations.
Growick said he will miss Hallandale Beach, but looks forward to his new position.
"I only have good things to say about Hallandale Beach,'' he said. "They only treated me with respect and this is an opportunity, so I decided to take it."
