With a little more than a week at the top rung of the St. Joseph Fire Department’s ladder, new Fire Chief Mike Dalsing is settling in.

Mr. Dalsing, a 29-year veteran of the department, officially became the new chief on Sept. 2, following a short tenure by interim chief John Q. Nelson. Mr. Nelson stepped in when Jack Brown retired after 38 years with the department, five of which were as chief.

“Most of my first few days has been rumor control, but that is to be expected,” Mr. Dalsing said.

Besides learning some new computer skills and mastering a BlackBerry, Mr. Dalsing says most of his time has been spent in meetings, meeting people and looking at new equipment.

“Being the new man, I got jabbed a few times but I survived,” Mr. Dalsing said.

In the near future, Mr. Dalsing plans to purchase a new fire truck to replace the current Snorkel truck, which is stationed at headquarters. Plans for the current Snorkel are still in the air. The department lacks a back-up aerial truck, but storage will be an issue, Mr. Dalsing said.

Then, in the next few months, Mr. Dalsing hopes to purchase new air packs with money from the capital improvements program tax.

But for now, Mr. Dalsing stays busy with annual hose testing this month and National Fire Prevention Month in October.

“We’re just moving along at a gradual pace,” Mr. Dalsing said.

He also hopes to keep all changes at a gradual pace and to keep firefighters involved.

“It’s been busy, but things have been real good so far,” Mr. Dalsing said.

Megan Tilk can be reached

at megantilk@npgco.com.