COEUR d’ALENE — Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Greif was sworn in Tuesday as the city’s new fire chief before the Coeur d’Alene City Council.

“Don’t be nervous, Tom,” joked Councilman Woody McEvers as Greif prepared to take the oath of office before about 150 in the Library Community Room.

After the 30-second ceremony, Mayor Jim Hammond congratulated Greif.

“We look forward to your leadership,” he said.

Greif is a 24-year veteran of the fire department and has held numerous leadership positions within it. He replaced Kenny Gabriel, who retired after more than 30 years with the department, the last 22 as fire chief.

“I’m deeply honored and thankful for the opportunities ahead,” Greif said.

The city looked in-house to replace Gabriel, rather than conduct a national search, as it believed it had several qualified candidates. Officials said it was a tough decision.

The fire chief oversees 70 employees, including 24 paramedics who provide fire, emergency medical first response and transport and technical rescue services.

Last year, the department responded to 2,423 fire calls; 7,590 EMS calls; 243 mutual aid calls; and conducted 4,346 ambulance transports for a total of 10,013 runs.

Gabriel said 2021 was not just a challenging year, it was the busiest year in the department’s history.

“Through it all we worked diligently to provide the highest-level service while protecting our staff and community,” he wrote in a Jan. 26 letter. “We changed protocols and adapted to a very new situation, yet never missed a beat to provide the level of service our community expects and deserves.”

Beyond the stats, some 2021 highlights were:

• Gabriel was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Idaho Fire Chiefs Association.

• Deputy Chief Bill Deruyter helped raise $750 at the annual Fitness Charity Bike Fundraiser for the Kootenai County Police & Fire Memorial Foundation.

• Delivered a new automated external defibrillator device and trainer to the Lake City Senior Center.

• Teamed with Area Agency on Aging of North Idaho, along with Panhandle Health District, to begin an in-home COVID-19 vaccination program.

“As we begin 2022, we will strive to provide you world class emergency response and superior customer service,” Gabriel wrote.