GRANBY — Evan Briant is set to bring his seven years of experience as Hadley’s deputy fire chief, and more than 25 years in the firefighting business, to Granby as the town’s new fire chief.
“We’re looking forward to having him,” Select Board Chair Mark Bail said. “We’ve had a lot of turbulence though many years in the fire department, and we’re excited to have somebody who is competent but also a good fit for the town.”
Granby’s former Fire Chief Michael O’Neill abruptly resigned in December 2024, leaving the town without a head of the Fire Department. Former Granby Fire Chief Russ Anderson stepped up as interim chief while the Chief Selection Committee narrowed down seven applications to finalists Briant and Hatfield Fire Chief Robert Flaherty.
The Select Board voted to appoint Briant during its Aug. 18 meeting, and contract negotiations were expected to take place Wednesday during an executive session.
Briant comes to Granby with over 25 years of experience in firefighting. His career in firefighting began as a junior firefighter for South Hadley Fire District 2, where he worked his way up to become a full-time firefighter in 2015. He has been deputy chief in Hadley since 2018.
As a western Massachusetts native, Briant has ample experience in small bucolic town fire departments. Granby, he pointed out in his Aug. 4 interview, shares a lot of similarities with Hadley. Briant decided to apply to chief position based on the similarities between the towns’ procedures and principles.
“I really love the town, the community style, the agricultural stuff as well, like we have in Hadley,” Briant said.
Adversity, Briant said, is not new to him. He struggled a lot in high school, but remained determined to get his bachelor’s degree from Columbia State University and pass his EMT exams. The challenge taught him how to “take a step back” and “refocus” on the task at hand.
“I’m at that age in my life where I’m ready to settle down and stay at the department and give it 110%,” he said.
Bail was especially impressed by Briant’s ability to jump into action and make quick, effective decisions under pressure. During his interview, Briant recalled he led a river rescue soon after he became deputy. Briant decided to call the medical flight team even though bad weather would deter them from taking off. He felt motivated to ask just in case, as the three men he found on the crashed boat were severely injured.
“I think he’s a really sincere person,” Bail said. “He has the firefighting and administration skills, but he seems like he really cares.”
