MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission voted Thursday to appoint Acting Fire Chief Aaron Lipski to Chief of the Milwaukee Fire Department.
Lipski will carry out the term of former Chief Mark Rohlfing, which ends May 17, 2022.
Lipski has served with the Milwaukee Fire Department for 24 years. Before taking up Acting Chief, Lipski worked his way from deputy chief of the firefighting division to assistant chief for the support bureau.
Before joining Milwaukee's finest, Lipski worked as an EMT for Paratech Ambulance Company and a Tunnel and Mine Rescue instructor for the National Tunnel Institute, according to his LinkedIn page.
Compared to the search for a new chief of the Milwaukee Police Department, the search for a fire chief has been straightforward. Former Chief Rohlfing announced his retirement last September. It appeared at the time that the chief wanted to retire for family and personal reasons - not amid scandal. Lipski took on the acting role then.
At the Milwaukee Police Department, former Chief Alfonso Morales was demoted to captain last year over tensions with the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission. Morales has been pushing to get his old job back - or a settlement. A Milwaukee judgeruled in his favor in that endeavor this week.