18 Year Veteran At Everett Fire Department Named Assistant Chief Of Operations

A press release from the Everett Fire Department today regarding promotion of a long-time member of the department to the rank of assistant chief.

Everett Fire Department Chief Dave DeMarco has named Mike Calvert as the new assistant chief of operations following the retirement of Jeff Edmonds. Calvert started his assistant chief role on Sept. 14, sharing a two-week overlap with Edmonds, who retired on Sept. 28, 2019. Calvert has served with the Everett Fire Department in a variety of roles since joining in 2001, most recently as a captain.

“We are lucky to have him as part of our department,” states Chief DeMarco. “He brings a wealth of knowledge, skills, experience and leadership expertise to the table, which compliments the command staff team, the department, and the City as a whole.”

Calvert recently graduated from the Executive Fire Officer Program, an intensive four-year program at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, MD, on Aug. 30, 2019. During the program, he built relationships with chief fire officers across the country and developed his leadership, thinking and problem-solving skills to better serve the Everett community.

As part of the academic component of the program, Calvert completed several applied research papers. His final paper, “The Potential Impact of Earthquakes on Firefighting Water Supply in Everett, Washington (https://bit.ly/32okBmw),” describes the vulnerabilities of the Everett community and its water system to the types of earthquakes the region is likely to experience and explores the strategies used in other jurisdictions to overcome these vulnerabilities. As part of the program, Calvert successfully defended his paper in front of a panel of fire chiefs from across the country.

Calvert is a graduate from Cascade High School and a life-long Everett resident. He has a Fire Science Associate’s degree from Everett Community College and a Bachelor’s of Science degree in cellular and molecular biology from the University of Washington, which led him to a 13-year career in the local biotech industry prior to becoming a firefighter/EMT with the department. Calvert has served as a board member for the Snohomish County Red Cross and the Everett Fire Fighters Association.