BLOOMFIELD, Iowa — The Bloomfield City Council appointed 20-year-old Daniel Oliver, a two-year Ottumwa Fire Department veteran, as its new fire chief following a 4–1 vote.
Oliver began with a high school job-shadow program and graduated from Davis County High School in 2023, KTVO reported. Ahead of the vote, Bloomfield firefighters urged the council to select an internal candidate.
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The council chose Oliver over interim Chief Brian Thomas, a roughly 12-year department veteran with additional prior firefighting experience, who stepped in after former Chief Jeff McClure retired in July 2025. Bloomfield volunteer firefighter Adam Bridgman was also a candidate for the job.
Despite firefighters’ urging the council to promote from within, Mayor Chris Miller backed Oliver, noting his full-time role in Ottumwa puts him on hundreds more calls each year than Bloomfield firefighters, yielding significant experience in just two years. Oliver started as chief on Nov. 7.
What do you think — is 20 too young to lead a department? How much should experience and call volume weigh against age and leadership potential in choosing a chief?
FireRescue1 readers respond:
- An insult and a slap in the face to all career professional firemen
- Although this young man has experience, it would have been better to bring him on as an under study for a few months. This would give him a feel for the unit and operational duties. You can not dismiss experience when it comes to fires.
- Slap in the face to both professional and volunteer fire chiefs. Two years of experience is a rookie barely off probation, lacks the supervisory skills of each rank/position bypassed. Assuming command and responsibility by this young man clearly shows he is not mature enough to undertake the role of fire chief. This places the firefighters and the community at risk.
- There is a difference in firefighting experience and leadership experience. He has been in the fire service only 2 years and has 0 leadership experience. I think it is a bad move.
- So supposedly he has had more fire experience in the last two years than the guys on BFD. What about everything else that goes with the job? What about the administration side of the job and the bs politics that go with the position? I think he is capable, but he will need the help of his department underneath him. It will be interesting to see if he gets the support he needs. Obviously, Bloomfield officials didn’t look at the bigger picture. I wish him well in his new position and hope he succeeds.
- I don’t want to insult, don’t want to age discriminate and I’m coming with 32yrs of experience in a fairly busy dept. Every call is a learning experience and 2 years is hardly a career and 22 is still a kid, not to mention chiefs need to administer discipline, be a politician and stand up to politicians along with knowledge of all fireground workings. Ya, an accident waiting to happen.
- Kid may be smart, and good at many things. However, there is zero room for error, and morale will take a huge blow. It’s amazing how politicians think, that bringing some outsider in will make things better, Experience over book smarts any day! Unfortunately, these politicians will pay the ultimate price, by most likely having an inexperienced fire ground leader that cause injuries or death due to lack of tactical skills and knowledge! I’m all for promoting young folks but a two year high school kid over a 12 year interim chief — nope.
- There’s no way he has enough life experience in managing a fire department, much less managing personnel. He will be a puppet on a string during challenging situations in the political arena. I do feel bad for the guy who I believe is being set up for failure. But, I do wish him the best of luck.
- Very wrong. Just because he had call volume. Doesn’t mean had experience. Did he command any of those calls, or did he just hump hose? Now they have created most likely a rift in the dept. A firefighter with 10 to 30 years experience is going to have a hard time taking commands from a 20-year-old in for 2 years. The minute he miss judges as fire and gets someone injured or killed. The city will be on the hook.
- ISO rating will plummet, and local insurance rates will skyrocket. Training is paramount and he hasn’t had near enough experience and training to lead a department of any size.
- I have been paid and a volunteer. I have been on a volunteer station where I had higher call volume than a fulltime position. This just sounds dysfunctional.
- Perfect example of what happens when politicians get involved in hiring ANYONE. What a slap to those of us who spent the many years it takes to legitimately get our buggles.
- This is how people die. Two years is not experience, and how could he possibly have any or all the chief officer classes?
- I disagree. How does interim Chief Brian Thomas not have more time and experience after 12 years? The math doesn’t add up. Oliver is 20 with 2 years of experience. How can you get that much experience over a guy with 12 years on the job?
- A potentially fatal demonstration of how out of touch the City is with what being a firefighter, let alone the chief, actually entails. “Citing experience...” in choosing a 20-year-old is absurd. Those city officials should be stripped of their authority, they clearly aren’t fit to make important decisions, and young Mr. Oliver should most definitely go back to a lesser role. The obvious process here was to wait for an appropriate candidate, even if it meant hiring externally, before putting people’s lives (and city politics) in the hands of Brian. What the hell is wrong with you all?
- HUGE MISTAKE. HUGE MISTAKE.
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