Warwick grad and firefighter named Orange County 911 Deputy Commissioner

Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus announced on Monday that Gregory Schmid has been named the County’s new 911 Deputy Commissioner.

Schmid, a 1998 Warwick High School graduate, has been a volunteer firefighter since 1996 and served as a supervisor for numerous EMS agencies throughout the state (1999-2009). In addition, Schmid responded to the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans in 2005 as a Health Technician and to the Hurricane Irma/Maria disaster in Puerto Rico in 2017 as a Communications Specialist.

Schmid began working at Orange County 911 in 2004 as a Public Safety Dispatcher. He was promoted to Public Safety Dispatch Supervisor in 2009 and Director of Operations 10 years later. During his tenure, Schmid has received numerous awards, including Dispatcher of the Year, Supervisor of the Year, and numerous lifesaving awards.

Schmid’s responsibilities will include administering the daily operations and activities of Orange County’s Emergency Communications Division. This will involve oversight of the 911 Communications Center, as well as the new public safety radio system.

Schmid was born in Montreal, Canada and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2000. He graduated from SUNY Albany in 2002. Schmid currently resides in Middletown.

“Greg is a consummate professional and cares deeply about the well-being and safety of the residents that he serves,” Neuhaus said.

Schmid succeeds Allen Wierzbicki, who retired this summer.

“I’m extremely honored and humbled to be able to continue to serve the residents of Orange County in this position,” Schmid said. “Allen Wierzbicki did a wonderful job developing this department and I look forward to building on that. I have a great team to work with and am excited about this new role. I appreciate the County Executive’s trust and confidence in me.”