FIRE CHIEF INTERVIEWS SCHEDULED
After a nationwide search, the City of Champaign has selected three (3) finalists to be interviewed for the position of Fire Chief. The three (3) finalists will be interviewed March 10 and 11, 2014.
The finalists are:
Greg Main, currently serving as District Fire Chief for the Evansville, Indiana Fire Department, a 28-year veteran, has a Master’s Degree in Fire and Emergency Management Administration from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Fire Service Administration from Empire State College in Saratoga Springs, New York. Main is also a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
Gary McCarraher, currently Fire Chief for Franklin, Massachusetts, a 40-year fire service veteran, has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Framingham State University in Framingham, Massachusetts, a Bachelor’s Degree in Fire and Emergency Management from Granite State College in Concord, Massachusetts, and Associate Degrees in Fire Protection Technology, Fire Science Technology, and Industrial Safety and Health from Rowan Technical College in Salisbury, North Carolina. McCarraher is also a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
Gary Trulson, currently Associate Dean of Public Safety at Western Technical College in La Crosse, Wisconsin, is a 35-year fire service veteran. Trulson has a Master’s Degree in Safety from the University of Wisconsin in Whitewater, Wisconsin, a Bachelor’s Degree in Fire Science Management from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois, and an Associate’s Degree in Fire Science from Blackhawk Technical College in Janesville, Wisconsin, and is a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
The three (3) finalists will participate in an extensive process designed to assess their professional strengths and weaknesses, and to allow the candidates to learn about the City and the Champaign Fire Department. In addition to an interview with the City Manager and both Deputy City Managers, the finalists will field questions from four (4) interview panels comprised of community members, local fire service officials, Champaign Fire Department employees, and City staff. Finalists will also participate in a forum with Fire Department staff, be given a tour of the fire stations and the community, and meet the Mayor and City Council members prior to the conclusion of the two-day process.
“The City Manager will make a final decision in the next few weeks after reviewing the feedback from the interview panels and an extensive background check,” said Acting Human Resources Director Lori Bluhm. “This selection process is very thorough so that both the City and the candidate can make a successful decision,” she added. The new Fire Chief is expected to begin work in May, replacing Acting Chief David Ferber who assumed the role when Chief Douglas Forsman retired in December 2013.
All questions about the recruitment and interview process and/or the candidates should be directed to City Manager Dorothy David at (217) 403-8710 or Acting Human Resources Director Lori Bluhm at (217) 403-8770.
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