Jeffrey Osswald sworn in as Onset Fire Chief

Aug 13, 2021

Jeffrey Osswald, a decades-long veteran of the Onset Fire Department, is the department’s new chief. He was sworn in by Onset Fire District Clerk/Treasurer Mary McCoy on Friday, Aug. 13. 

Osswald was formally named Onset fire chief during an Aug. 12 Onset Fire District Prudential Committee meeting. His formal appointment to the role occurred in tandem with Chief Raymond Goodwin’s official retirement on Aug. 12.

Osswald is an Onset resident who was named deputy chief in 2003 and became an accredited fire chief in September 2016. He has been a firefighter with the department for more than 30 years, and members of the Prudential Committee had nothing but kind words for how Osswald has led the department since March as acting chief

“We’ve been very happy with your leadership,” said Committee Chair Pamela Pike. “You’ve stepped up to the plate tremendously given the pandemic and everything else that we’ve been working under.”

Along with the new title, Osswald received a 7 percent pay increase and will be eligible for an as-yet-undetermined bonus at the end of 2022. The bonus would be compensation for managing payroll and overtime accounts and “keeping them under control, Pike said.

Committee member Marcine Fernandes said she was very happy Osswald had stepped up to the plate and praised him for putting in the effort to help bring the department “into the 21st century.”

“We’re heading in the right direction,” Fernandes said.

Clerk Karl Baptiste said he was impressed by how well Osswald is managing the finance side of the job, in particular, on top of excelling at the other aspects of being chief.

After accepting the Prudential Committee’s job offer, Osswald thanked the board. 

“I appreciate the fact that the board and Mary [McCoy] have faith in my leadership,” Osswald said during the Aug. 12 meeting. “I can’t take all the credit. I work with Mary daily, she’s guided me through a lot and been a great mentor. Chief Goodwin and the previous chiefs as well — I wouldn’t be sitting here without their leadership and guidance. [...] Just having faith in somebody and praise goes a long way, and I really appreciate that.”