Fire & Rescue

Murphy promoted to interim fire chief while city finds successor to Gilliam

Published

3 years ago

March 23, 2022

When La Crosse Fire Chief Ken Gilliam departs next month for a new job, assistant chief Jeff Murphy will be promoted to interim chief.

Murphy got the appointment Wednesday from the city police and fire commission. He’ll also be the interim chief for the Holmen Fire Department, which has a service agreement with La Crosse.

Gilliam’s last day with the department is April 15th.

Murphy is the most senior assistant chief in the La Crosse department. The commission expects the hiring process for a new chief to last about a month.

Gilliam recently announced his resignation, because he was offered a new job opportunity.

Brad Williams

A native of Prairie du Chien, Brad graduated from UW - La Crosse and has worked in radio news for more than 30 years, mostly in the La Crosse area. He regularly covers local courts and city and county government. Brad produces the features "Yesterday in La Crosse" and "What's Buried on Brad's Desk." He also writes the website "Triviazoids," which finds odd connections between events that happen on a certain date, and he writes and performs with the local comedy group Heart of La Crosse. Brad been featured on several national TV programs because of his memory skills.