Ice hockey probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of fighting fire. But if it weren’t for hockey, new Peoria Fire-Medical Chief Gary Bernard might not be in the position he is in today.
After all, his dream to be a professional hockey player is what brought him to the states in the first place. As a young man, he grew up playing hockey and moved to California from Canada to pursue a career professionally.
But when it didn’t work out, he moved to Arizona and came to know the department in Peoria. And after 30 years, formerly as a deputy chief, he is now its top official.
