Story posted Friday, June 26, 2009
City To Narrow Down Fire Chief Candidates From 7
By TODD WESSELL Journal & Topics Editor
Seven candidates for the soon-to-be-vacant Des Plaines Fire Chief's position are currently participating in a formal application and interview process.
The applicants this week and next week will meet with firefighter representatives and senior city staff members to give brief presentations and answer questions. Also next week, each candidate will be asked to participate in an exercise to determine their writing and analytical skills. In July, final interviews will be conducted with City Manager Jason Bajor, Assistant City Manager Jason Slowinski and Human Resources Director Mike Earl before a final decision is made by the end of the month or in early August.
Current Fire Chief Randy Jaeger announced earlier this year that he is retiring around July 1.
A total of 22 candidates applied for the chief's job four of whom are current employees of the Des Plaines Fire Dept. In a rare move, the city expanded its reach of candidates seeking applicants from outside the department. For decades, nearly every fire chief was selected from within the department ranks.
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