Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service promoted three officers to senior command positions on Thursday, filling leadership roles in the department responsible for emergency response across Bethesda and Chevy Chase.

Alan Butsch was promoted to Division Chief, Dominic Colletti to Assistant Chief, and Wesley Shipley to Battalion Chief, MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer announced on X.

Butsch's new role carries the most direct local impact. The Division Chief of Operations oversees all career and volunteer personnel assigned to 37 fire and rescue stations countywide, according to the MCFRS website. That includes the 2nd Battalion stations closest to Bethesda Beacon readers: Station 6 (Bethesda), Station 7 (Chevy Chase), Station 20 (Bethesda Midtown) and Station 26 (North Bethesda).

Colletti steps into a role the department describes as the highest-ranking rostered operational authority on duty, managing five battalions and 308 on-duty uniformed personnel across those 37 stations.

Shipley takes command at the Battalion Chief level, overseeing one of the department's five geographic battalions. His specific battalion assignment was not included in the announcement.

All three promotions were announced within minutes of each other, suggesting a coordinated round of leadership changes. Fire Chief Corey Smedley shared Piringer's announcement of Butsch's promotion on Friday.

Residents with non-emergency questions can contact MCFRS at 240-773-4500.