Costa Mesa firefighters promoted

Deepa Bharath

The city’s fire department filled two key spots to start the new

year.

Gregg Steward was promoted from battalion chief to the

department’s deputy chief, or second-in-command, while Scott

Broussard rose from captain to battalion chief.

The appointments were spurred by the retirement of Ken Soltis, who

was deputy chief. Soltis retired Dec. 30 after serving in the

department for 30 years, Fire Chief Jim Ellis said.

“Both Gregg and Scott have demonstrated the ability to meet

challenges head on,” he said. “Both have the Costa Mesa fire family

and the city family at heart.”

The number of people who attended the formal badge-pinning

ceremony last week from the fire, police and other city departments

showed the community’s support, Ellis said.

Steward started off as a firefighter in Costa Mesa 17 years ago

and has been in fire service for 26 years.

As deputy chief, Steward will oversee all operations, including

emergency medical services, station maintenance, hiring, job reviews

and promotions.

“I’m very happy that Chief Ellis chose me for this job,” Steward

said. “It was something I wanted to pursue.”

He’ll miss being out on the field, but “not all that much,” he

said.

“I’ve been out there for 26 years and have had the opportunity to

do everything I set out to do,” Steward said.

He believes state budget cuts will pose a major challenge to the

department in the coming months.

Broussard said he is excited about his new assignment as battalion

chief.

“As battalion chief, I supervise an entire shift and six fire

stations,” he said. “It’s a great new part of my job.”

Broussard has 22 years of experience in firefighting, 18 of those

in Costa Mesa.

His goal as battalion chief is to open the lines of communication,

Broussard said.

“I want to be approachable to all,” he said. “I want the crew and

the captains to be able to feel comfortable talking to me. It’s the

kind of relationship I want to establish.”