Michael Bonakoske

Chief Bonakoske is a 29 year veteran of the Englewood Fire Department.  He joined the department in 1977 as a volunteer firefighter, in 1979 he was hired full time as a firefighter / mechanic.   He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1984, to Captain in 1985, to Deputy Chief in 1988, to Assistant Chief in 1996 and to Fire Chief in 2001.

Job Responsibilities

His job responsibilities include all of the those normally associated with a Fire Chief of a city fire department.  Since Englewood is not a city, but a special fire district, he also provides most of the functions of a city manager.  He is responsible for supervising all functions of the fire department, as well as payroll, purchasing, personnel, accounting, tax rolls and the board of fire commissioners.

Education and Training.

Chief Bonakoske has extensive specialized training and certifications including:  numerous National Fire Academy courses, State Certification as Fire Officer, Fire Instructor I, Haz Mat Operations level, Confined Spaces and Emergency Medical Technician.  He is presently working on a fire science degree at Edison College

Personal Data

He lives in Englewood-East with his wife Tonia and their 4 children - three boys, one girl.  His oldest son works for Punta Gorda Fire Department.  His hobbies include football and spending time with his family.