Repository staff report
JACKSON TWP. He initially wanted to be a police officer.
But the U.S. Air Force made the decision for Tim Berczik when they made him a fire protection specialist.
"The military made me a fireman and that was awesome. I jumped at it and never looked back," said Berczik, who will go from deputy chief on March 12 to head of the township's 95-member firefighting force working out of a total of five fire stations.
Berczik will replace retiring Chief Tracy Hogue, who is retiring after 45 years with the department. Hogue has been chief since 2011.
Berczik was one of three vying for the chief's position. Captains Michael Peel and David Seibert were also in the running, said Michael Vaccaro, township administrator and law director.