The Sterling Fire Department has a new deputy fire chief.

Brandon Monical was sworn in during Monday’s Sterling City Council meeting as a Sterling Fire Department deputy fire chief. His wife, Haley, pinned his badge on his uniform as their two sons, Colin and Liam, watched.

Fire Chief David Northcutt and several members of the Sterling Fire Department and their families were on hand as Monical was officially welcomed into the SFD’s ranks.

“We put together an awesome hiring panel and we finally achieved our goal. Brandon not only has the qualifications that we needed, but also has the passion for training and mentoring that our department needs and we are striving for,” Northcutt said.

Monical started his fire service career in 2007, serving on volunteer departments in central Illinois.

In 2013, he joined Global Fire, advancing from probationary firefighter to deputy chief. He started teaching with the Illinois Fire Service Institute in 2023.