Madison Reporter

New Madison, Wisconsin, Fire Department Chief Chris Carbon has a clear vision for how he wants the department to be seen.

"I love Madison," he told WKOW.com. "I'm energized, I'm enthusiastic and I want to do everything that I can to truly help the Madison Fire Department continue to make a positive impact on our community.”

Carbon made the comments April 7 during the mayor’s weekly briefing. After introducing himself, he shared the goals he has for the department, WKOW reported.

Born and raised in Madison, Carbon has been with the department since 1999, serving as a firefighter, paramedic, lieutenant, and training officer, according to WKOW. Other than a brief stint in Milwaukee County, he's been living and working in the city his entire adult life.

Carbon said expanding recruitment is a top priority. 

"If we're hitting the mark and we're doing things the way we want to do them, then I truly believe that you the community will know that we have 88 of us on duty every day who are ready to serve at a moment's notice," he said.

Carbon described his style as data driven and said he looks forward to putting the practice to use in the recruitment process. 

"This will allow us to make really directed smart decisions on what we want to do and recommendations for us to (push) forward," he said. "But as I've always said, we'll put a strong human element to that to make sure that the data doesn't leave anything else behind."

Carbon also said he would like to work to advance the efforts of the Community Alternative Response for Emergency Services (CARES) Team, according to WKOW.