Chief Raymond Goodwin to retire from Onset Fire Department

Mar 12, 2021

Onset Fire Chief Raymond Goodwin is retiring after serving nearly seven years as chief. 

The Onset Fire Department announced the change in a March 11 Facebook post, at which point the department also congratulated Deputy Fire Chief Jeffrey Osswald on his upcoming promotion to acting fire chief. 

When Goodwin was named Onset Fire Chief in 2014, he’d already served several months as acting fire chief. 

At the time, he described becoming fire chief as “the achievement of a lifetime goal.”

Before becoming chief, Goodwin had been part of the Onset Fire Department for decades. He first joined Onset Fire in 1986 as an on-call firefighter, and from 1996 to 1997, he served as a call lieutenant. By 1999, Goodwin was full-time at the department as captain/shift commander.

Goodwin’s retirement marks the end of a 35-year career in firefighting.

Osswald begins as acting chief Monday, March 15, according to the department. 

On Facebook, the department said: “Congratulations Chief!!! We look forward to serving under your leadership.”

Osswald is an Onset resident who became an accredited fire chief in September 2016. Like Goodwin, Osswald has an extensive history with the Onset Fire Department. 

He has been a firefighter with the department for more than 30 years, and he was named deputy chief in 2003.

Goodwin and Osswald could not immediately be reached for comment.