As chief, he said, he spends a lot of his time attending meetings and filling out paperwork. One of his main tasks has been making sure everyone in the department receives adequate training for the variety of scenarios firefighters encounter. He is planning to bolster the department’s communication system, and make it more efficient. “It’s a full-time job,” he said of being chief.

In addition to his responsibilities at the department, he is a graphic designer, and lives in Baldwin with his wife, Stephanie.

Craig’s uncle, former Captain Donald Plunkett of Ladder Two, and his brother, Thomas, a lieutenant with Hose Company One, have also shaped his career in the department, he said.

He now finds himself in a role similar to that of his father nearly three decades ago: working with his father to steer the department in the right direction while a new crop of firefighters find their way in the department.

Paul A. is confident his son will do a fine job in his new role. “He’s going to be a very upstanding chief,” he said of Craig. “He’s going to be fair and he’s going to be strong. In today’s society, you have to do that.”