Chief Hoppel is a 34-year member of Emergency Services. He is a Montana native, born in Bozeman and raised in the Billings area. He began his career in 1991 dispatching fire, ambulance, and law enforcement divisions for the City of Laurel, Montana. He then became a full-time police officer in 1993. Chief Hoppel later pursued his passion for the fire service and joined the Billings Fire Department in January 1998, serving through the ranks of Firefighter, Engineer, Captain, Deputy Fire Marshall, Training Chief, Battalion Chief, Assistant Chief of Operations, and Executive Assistant Chief. Training has been a passion throughout much of his career serving in various roles in training at the local state and national level. His love for training and being an instructor is what has kept him involved in all areas of the fire service. Chief Hoppel is a member and past board member of the International Society Fire Service Instructors. He has participated in curriculum development and program delivery for the Society. Hoppel currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Montana Fire Chiefs Association as well as the Advisory Board for the Montana State University Fire Service Training School. Hoppel was most recently inducted as a Fellow for the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation. He holds an Associated Degree in Fire Science as well as a bachelor’s degree in Fire Administration. He is currently pursuing his master’s degree in organizational leadership.
He is married and has three grown children that reside in the Billings Area.