Stephen Rich has been named the new fire chief of the Canton (Ohio) Fire Department. Rich in now in charge of a staff of nearly 175 uniformed and support personnel.

A member of the Canton department since 1982, Rich had been serving as staff division chief since 2003. He succeeds James W. Scott Jr., who was chief for four years before retiring in July, and Gary Kimble, who had been interim chief since then.

The Canton department operates from 10 stations and protects a population of 80,000. Its annual call volume is about 15,000, approximately 400 of which are fire calls.