As the City of Harrisonville continues its mission to ensure the residents and businesses of our community are protected and provided for, we want to announce that we have hired a new Fire Chief!
After receiving dozens of qualified applications, the City has selected Rusty Sullivan as the next Chief of the Harrisonville Fire Department.
Sullivan had previously worked with the department as a consultant and had been instrumental in guiding the department through a series of operational and personnel changes.
Sullivan, a veteran of the United States Navy, has spent 33 years serving in the public safety industry, with long careers as both a firefighter (Grandview Fire Department) and a reserve police officer (Belton Police Department). Most recently, Sullivan served as the Program Director for the Metropolitan Community College-Blue River Public Safety Institute.
With a career dedicated to battling not only the physical, but also the mental battles that the world can present, Sullivan has received a Masters in Conflict Management/Dispute Resolution from Baker University and an undergraduate degree in Social Psychology with emphasis in positive psychology from Ottawa University.
Sullivan has served as a National Fire Academy Instructor and is a graduate of the International Public Safety Leadership and Ethics programs, the United States Counter Narcotics and Terrorism Operational Medical Support program (CONTOMS) and the Tactical Emergency Medical System program (TEMS). He has served as an International Hostage Negotiator, and has expertise in communication psychology, physical use of force, and force/conflict psychology. Sullivan was a Missouri POST Subject Matter Expert in Tactical Communications/Conflict Management.
“We are excited to count Rusty as part of our team and are thrilled about the experience he brings to the Harrisonville Fire Department and to the overall protection of the Harrisonville community,” Mayor Judy Bowman said.