Interim chief only applicant for Ozaukee Central job

Ozaukee Central Interim Fire Chief Matthew Karpinski is the only person to apply to become the department’s next full-time chief.

The Grafton Police and Fire Commission reviewed Karpinski’s application in closed session on Monday, then in open session authorized a background check of Karpinski, Chairman Paul Moroder said.

Once the background investigation is completed — something Moroder said could take a month or so — the commission will review the result and interview Karpinski for the job, he said.

Karpinski was named the department’s interim chief in March, when former Chief Bill Rice retired.

Moroder said the search for a new chief was slowed by the need for an updated job description, something that took the Ozaukee Central Fire Board until late August to complete.

“I think we went through 10 drafts,” he said

The commission on Sept. 1 opened the application process to internal candidates, with a deadline for applications set for Sept. 18.

Moroder said that the commission could still decide to seek additional candidates for the chief’s job by looking outside the department, adding he is unsure if that might happen.

There is no timetable for the commission to approve a new chief, Moroder said, adding, “We are aiming to proceed with the utmost efficiency.

“The six-month delay in issuing the job description exacerbates the existing challenges faced by the fire department. Conversely, the commission is aware of its obligations to all affected communities and will only proceed with an appointment once a suitable candidate has been identified.”

While the Ozaukee Central Fire Department encompasses four municipalities, a memorandum of understanding passed by the communities (the villages and towns of Grafton and Saukville) allows the commission to hire the new police chief since the Ozaukee Central Fire Commission has yet to be formed.

Karpinski, who joined the Grafton Fire Department in 2015, has been involved in fire service since 2001.

He started his career with the Germantown Fire Department, where he worked as an emergency medical technician while he was studying criminal justice.

“I was quickly drawn to the fire service,” Karpinski said in an interview in March, noting a supervisor told him he was going to attend fire school.

“He knew the right path and knew my interest in the department,” Karpinski added. 

He was initially drawn to the fire service by a desire to help people, Karpinski said, adding he enjoys being involved in the community and participating in things.

“Recognizing the value in that, I decided to keep going down that path,” he said. 

Karpinski advanced through the ranks, achieving the rank of captain in Germantown before he joined the Grafton Fire Department in 2015.

He was hired as the department’s division chief, a role that was reclassified as the assistant chief in the early 2020s, and was the second full-time member of the department. Rice was the first.

As interim chief, he said at the time, his plan is simple.

“I look forward to keeping the department moving forward during this time of transition,” he said. “You don’t want to make any changes now because you don’t know the final destination.”