Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra on Friday announced that she is appointing Andrew Pelis as the next chief of Northampton Fire Rescue. Beginning Friday, Pelis is serving as interim chief of the department after the outgoing chief, Jon Davine, was named the state’s new fire marshal earlier this month.

Pelis has been a Northampton firefighter since 1998, and has held positions including training officer, fire prevention officer, hazardous materials technician, shift captain, deputy chief and assistant chief. He was sworn in as interim chief Friday afternoon during a ceremony at the city’s main fire station at 26 Carlon Drive.

A native of Northampton, Pelis is a graduate of Northampton High School and has bachelor’s degrees in natural resources from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and fire science from Anna Maria College in Paxton.

The appointment of Pelis as permanent chief will be on the agenda of the City Council during its next meeting at 7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 17. Sciarra said, “As assistant chief, Andy received thorough leadership training as part of sound succession planning. I am confident he will bring continuity and exceptional competence to” Northampton Fire Rescue.

Davine also has been a Northampton firefighter since 1998 and has led the department since March 2020. He is the first person from western Massachusetts to serve as fire marshal, the leader of the state Department of Fire Services. Davine begins his new job on Monday, July 31.