City Of Eagan Names New Fire Chief

EAGAN, MN — The city of Eagan has named Hugo Searle as its new fire chief.

Searle began his position Monday after his hiring was approved July 20 by City Council, the city said. He will be sworn in at a future City Council meeting, the city said.

Searle is replacing Chief Mike Scott, who recently retired after 35 years, the city said.

Searle previously served as Assistant Fire Chief for Saint Louis Park's fire department, where he started as a part-time firefighter 19 years ago before quickly becoming a full-time firefighter, the city said. He served the Saint Louis Park Fire Department for 19 years and Brooklyn Park's Fire Department for 10, the city said.

According to the city, Searle grew up in North Wales, United Kingdom and spent much of his childhood in Africa.

“As corny as it may sound, being a firefighter is what I wanted to do my whole life, even as a child,” Searle said. “It finally became reality when I was living in Saint Louis Park and had a good friend who was a paramedic. He told me ‘You should be a firefighter. Your personality, experience, and abilities fit.’ I saw an opportunity for a part-time firefighter in our community newsletter, spoke with my wife, and very quickly applied. It was only a few months later that I was transitioning my life to be firefighter. I knew [within a few months] I was made for this.”

Searle said that his role as Fire Chief is to be a leader and that he brings certain skills to the position.

"I’ve developed the skills necessary to teach the technical aspects through being a firefighter, a union member, a trainer, an assistant chief, and mentor in my decades of experience in the fire service," Searle said. "And I’ve been honing my leadership skills in my personal life as a high-altitude climbing guide – building teams to climb big mountains around the world including the Himalayas and Mt. Everest. So, I couple my experience as a firefighter at all levels with my experiences as a mountain guide – teambuilding, leadership, and helping people work together in intense situations, to achieve their goals, and that’s what I’m bringing to Eagan’s fire department.”

Searle said he heard about Chief Scott retiring and thought that Eagan would be a great opportunity.

"I’ve been interested in taking my career to the next step and becoming a Fire Chief, but I wasn’t just looking for any opportunity," Searle said. "I was looking for the right opportunity. When I heard Chief Scott was retiring, I thought, ‘what a fantastic opportunity.’ Everyone in the fire service knows what Eagan has done in their transition to a full-time department, and the great work that Chief Scott did…. It’s an incredible challenge and opportunity to be able to be a part of this new, energized, and exciting department in a City that has a wonderful reputation. Who wouldn’t want this job?”

Eagan Mayor Mike Maguire noted some reasons why Searle is a good fit for the department.

"Chief Searle brings incredible experience and insight to lead our fire department after the transition from one of the largest, paid on-call departments to a full-time fire department,” Maguire said. “We know our fire department is in an excellent position, thanks to all our current and past firefighters and leaders. We are excited about the skills, knowledge, and leadership Chief Searle will bring to Eagan to enhance the services we provide every corner of Eagan.”