Belleville council selects Romulus fire fighter John Thiede as chief

At a half-hour special meeting on Thursday, March 26, John Thiede, who is retiring as a full-time captain from the Romulus Fire Department, was unanimously approved at the city’s new fire chief.
A committee consisting of Belleville public safety director Kris Faull and two fire professionals interviewed and scored seven of the nine who had originally applied for the position. The committee agreed on the top score for Thiede on the second round of interviews and recommended him to the council.
Director Faull said Thiede has 40 years of fire experience and had been a union official, actor, sports broadcaster and owns the Hook & Ladder Theatre Company in Romulus. She said he also has the reputation of being a comedian.
As a rookie fire fighter in 1987, he is credited with pulling the only survivor – a four-year-old girl — out of the wreckage of Northwest Flight 255 near Metro Airport. He said he has stayed in contact with her over the years and attended her wedding in Texas.
In other business at the brief meeting, a representative of Plante Moran presented a proposal on water and sewer rates. No action was taken. At the council’s March 16 meeting, a representative of Waterworth gave a lengthy zoom presentation on a proposal on water rates.
An agenda item to accept an offer on the sale of the city’s Savage Road property was deferred.