Oswego Mayor appoints new fire chief

Oswego, N.Y — Mayor Billy Barlow has appointed Randy Griffin as the new chief of the Oswego Fire Department after nearly a year of searching. Barlow announced in 2016 that he was looking for a replacement from outside the department. Griffin is replacing incumbent Jeff McCrobie who has been in the position for 7 years. McCrobie decided to retire after more than 30 years total in the department.

Griffin’s professional background includes working 6 years in a branch of Homeland Security and teaching as a professor for Emergency and Disaster Management at Georgetown University. Griffin is a SUNY Oswego graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. The new chief can influence the city of Oswego in ways beyond just fighting fires Mayor Barlow said.

“Now we have a chief that is looking out for the city budget, the city taxpayers and making fiscally responsible decisions,” Barlow said.

The new chief hopes to change the culture of the department and to give it a face lift in the eyes of the public.

“My big goal is to create an organization that the folks in Oswego can be proud of and one that we can earn back the public’s trust,” Griffin said.

Griffin will start trying to achieve that goal when he officially takes the position on March 31st. Assistant Fire Chief John Chawgo will fill the position in the interim.