At a special meeting on Thursday, Dec. 29, 2016 at the Chelsea District Library, the Chelsea Area Fire Authority Board chose Robert Arbini as the new fire chief.
Board chairman Tom Osborne said he hopes that Arbini can begin his new job in March — pending background checks.
Currently, Arbini is the Division Chief of Operations for the Klamath County Fire District No. 1 in Klamath Falls, Ore. Prior to that, he spent 21 years in the fire service in Michigan.
According to his resume, From 6-1992 to 7-2013 he was a firefighter, and in July 2012, Arbini was named deputy chief in the City of Westland Fire Department where he oversaw all operations.
From 4-2013 to 8-2015, he was employed by Rapid Response EMS, Inc. in Romulus where he oversaw employees, was the payroll administrator, and assisted with employee reviews.
For the last year, he’s been in Oregon as the division chief overseeing all suppression personnel, assisting with the budget and wroting policy.
According to his resume, Arbini has an associate of business from Henry Ford Community College, a BA in business administration from Concordia University, and both a Master of Science in Technology Studies in homeland security and emergency management as well as fire staff and command certificate from Eastern Michigan University.
In 2010, according to his resume, Arbini was named fire officer of the year.
Among his experiences is tactical emergency response, FEMA and HAZMAT. He has five years of experience as a union shift rep and 20 years as a member of Local 1279. Plus, he assisted with the first Westland Fire Department Citizens Fire Academy.
