Aila Boyd
aboyd@mainstreetnewspapers.com
Salem City Manager Chris Dorsey announced Friday morning that he has appointed Deputy Chief Matt Rickman to the position of interim fire & EMS chief for the City of Salem. Rickman takes over today for Chief John Prillaman who is retiring after more than 27 years of service to the Salem community.
“On behalf of our employees and citizens, I want to thank Chief Prillaman for his many years of service to all of Salem during the past three decades,” Dorsey said. “I know he will be successful in this next chapter of life, and I am confident Matt Rickman will continue to ensure our citizens receive outstanding care in times of trouble as he leads this department on an interim basis.”
Deputy Chief Richman, 41, joined the Salem Fire & EMS Department in July of 2005 as a raw recruit fresh out of the Roanoke Valley Regional Fire-EMS Recruit School’s #7 graduating class. Through hard work, dedication, and extensive training, Rickman has worked his way through the ranks in the past 20 years to earn this interim designation.
“I am humbled to serve the community in this capacity alongside all the men and women who are dedicated to saving lives,” Rickman said. “We will continue to provide our citizens with excellent response times and build on the traditions established by the department’s previous chiefs.”
Rickman became a full-fledged paramedic as he progressed through the firefighting ranks in Salem. He was promoted to Senior Firefighter in December of 2008 and in November of 2011, he was elevated to the rank of Lieutenant and named the city’s EMS Coordinator. In 2012, Rickman was promoted to Captain, and he was named Salem’s Deputy Fire Chief on March 15, 2015.
Rickman has a bachelor’s degree from Radford University where he majored in Biology with a Chemistry minor. His master’s degree is in Public Administration from Troy University. Rickman has also earned certificates in EMS Technology and Firefighting & Prevention along with an Associate of Social Sciences in Fire Science degree from Virginia Western.
He is a graduate from the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer’s Program, and he holds credentials from the Centers for Public Safety Excellence as a Chief EMS Officer (CEMSO) and a Chief Fire Officer (CFO). He also serves on numerous statewide and regional boards including the Governor’s EMS Advisory Board where he chairs the Workforce Development Committee.
Rickman is a lifelong Botetourt County native who resides in Blue Ridge with his wife and two daughters. The City of Salem is currently involved in a search to find the city’s next permanent Fire & EMS Chief.
