Otto Drozd began work Monday as the first fire chief in El Paso to come from outside the Fire Department. "One of the things that you should know about me is that that I love change. Change is the order of the day," Drozd said at a news conference at department headquarters. Drozd, 44, said he will look for ways to improve service, increase funding through grants and deal with the challenges of a department that must keep up with an expanding city. "It's building on top of what is already there," Drozd said while standing next to horse-drawn fire engines and other memorabilia of the Fire Department's 127-year history. He was fire chief for about eight years in Hialeah, Fla., a Miami suburb with a population of 250,000. Hialeah's fire department had about 330 firefighters compared with 800 in El Paso. "The attraction is El Paso is a growing city," Drozd said. Drozd, who has been a firefighter for 22 years, was selected as El Paso fire chief from among five finalists, including two local candidates. "The reaction (to Drozd within the El Paso Fire Department) has been for the most part positive," said Joe Tellez, president of the El Paso Firefighters Association Local 51.

• Age: 44.
• Personal: Married with three children, ages 9, 7, and 6.
• Background: Mother was Cuban. Father was Costa Rican. Speaks fluent Spanish. Grew up in Hialeah, Fla.
• Education: Master's in management from St. Thomas University in Miami; bachelor's in public management from Florida Atlantic University; associates in business and fire science from Miami Dade Community College.

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