A new chief and two deputy chiefs to begin May 19.
The City of Plant City has appointed David L. Dittman as Fire Chief for Plant City Fire Rescue (PCFR), and Michael Brown and Andrew Muzzy as Deputy Fire Chiefs.
Chief Dittman has had a 28-year career in the fire service in which he has consistently earned increasing responsibility. Most recently, he served as Division Chief of Training for the Tampa Fire Department. Dittman brings a wealth of skills and experience to his new role with PCFR, including developing and implementing fire operations, emergency response, and public education initiatives. The new chief has a strong reputation for leading and building teams, professional development, creative problem-solving, and critical thinking.
“I have seen it is a great department to work for,” Dittman said. “There are lots of growth opportunities. The city is very vibrant and growing as well. In a small department, you get to know the members a little faster than in a larger department. I am looking at coming into that and making a positive impact on the department—looking at my priorities, building a nice culture of leadership for that department, building relationships with our department members, the community, and city leadership, and recruiting qualified applicants and retaining the workforce that we have put in place. I’m excited. I’ve lived in Hillsborough County my whole life, and I have been to Plant City many times.”
Deputy Chief Muzzy has 24 years of fire service experience. He is currently a Battalion Chief with the Temple Terrace Fire Department. Muzzy brings experience in incident command, hazardous materials, emergency response, public safety, preventive maintenance, and site inspections. Additionally, Deputy Chief Muzzy is skilled in making decisions, interagency coordination, analytical thinking, task and workload prioritization, resource allocation, and facility maintenance. “I have been with Temple Terrace Fire for almost 24 years,” Muzzy said. “I am looking for a new challenge—a new adventure so to speak—and I think that Plant City has a great little community. They have a fantastic fire department—we are looking to go there and really help the department grow and assist with the growth the city has been seeing over the last few years. I hope to provide knowledge and experience to the younger firefighters, so that they can learn from it, and be able to move into these executive positions in the future. I am excited. I am really looking forward to going into Plant City.”
Deputy Chief Brown has 22 years in fire service, including his current role as a Battalion Chief with the Temple Terrace Fire Department. Brown has also worked as a Registered Nurse in emergency rooms at local hospitals including South Florida Baptist Hospital. Deputy Chief Brown is skilled in incident command, crisis management, team leadership, fire investigation, emergency planning, public safety, and risk assessment. He has lived in Plant City for 25 years. “This is a dream come true,” Brown said. “I am very much looking forward to serving the community I live in, and the city I already love. I couldn’t be more excited. I am home. It’s an amazing fire department with outstanding personnel, and I can’t wait to get on board and contribute to them.”
“Filling the open deputy chief positions afforded an opportunity to provide Chief Dittman with a robust and capable management team from day one,” City Manager Bill McDaniel commented. “We were fortunate to identify and recruit two very experienced and capable individuals to fill these essential roles in our Fire Rescue Department. The opportunity to hire seasoned fire professionals to fill these positions was a win-win for the department and the community we serve. Having them join the department along with Chief Dittman will support cohesiveness of vision and mission to the benefit of the department and the community.”
