On Monday, the City of Belleville’s interim fire chief, Brian Loranger, was promoted to permanent chief and on Tuesday, Dan Besson, who was serving as interim fire chief in Van Buren Township, was promoted to permanent fire chief.
The action on Chief Loranger was taken at Monday’s regular City Council meeting. It is a part-time position.
The action on Chief Besson was taken at Tuesday’s regular meeting of the Van Buren Township Board of Trustees. It is a full-time job, with pay of $69,000 and benefits.
Chief Loranger, a chiropractor who has an office in Belleville, lives in Van Buren Township.
Chief Besson, who has been working in Van Buren Township, lives in Belleville. He will be leaving his full-time job with the Flat Rock Fire Department, where he is a lieutenant. He also has been working as part-time Battalion Chief in VBT.
At Monday’s Belleville meeting, when Chief Loranger was advised of Besson’s pending promotion, he pointed out that Besson began his fire career in Belleville.
The majority of the city council voted to promote Loranger to chief, with the exception of Councilman Brian Blackburn who abstained from the vote. Blackburn, a paid-per-call city fire fighter, said he is up for a promotion and thought it would be unseemly for him to vote on the chief’s position.