Chief Priest has been the Fire Chief in the Town of West Hartford for nearly 10 years. He is rarely seen in his own firehouses and is more comfortable at political and public relations events than he is around the men and women he is in charge of. He is primarily concerned with how the town officials and public perceive him personally. In his tenure the WHFD has gone a significant period of time without a training facility after theirs was condemned as unsafe, there is no firm apparatus replacement plan nor is there a capital and station improvement plan. His primary concern is managing political and public perception of himself personally and is rarely seen advocating on behalf of the men and women he represents. Despite significant growth the in community, Chief Priest has been unable or unwilling to grow the department to maintain safe staffing levels. He has also advocated for removing fire personnel from fire apparatus to staff paramedic units, rather than increase staffing.