Fire chief Brian Miller will retire this summer. The city of Springfield posted the official job opening in March.
The list of candidates provided by the city includes current employees of the Springfield Fire Rescue Division: assistant chiefs Matt Smith and Brian Leciejewski, captain Scott Rupp and lieutenant Chadlin McKee.
Numerous external candidates, some rooted in the Dayton or Cincinnati regions, also applied for the position:
- Jacob King, chief, Wright Patterson Air Force Base Fire Department
- Michael Bell, fire accreditation team leader, Center for Public Safety Excellence, Inc.
- Sean Englert, lieutenant, Dayton Fire Department
- Paul Felder, lieutenant, Washington Township Fire Department
- Michael Fronimos, firefighter, Dry Ridge Fire Department, Ky.
- Jeff Frye, division chief, Patterson Fire Department and West Stanislaus Fire Protection District, Ca.
- Randall Hanifen, assistant chief, West Chester Fire-Rescue Department
- Gary Horn, assistant chief, Arnold Air Force Base Fire Department, Tenn.
- John Kolarik, deputy chief, Glenside Fire Protection District, Ill.
- Stephen Langstaff, firefighter, Hustead Volunteer Fire Department
- Thomas McCabe, chief, Norwood Fire Department
- Christopher Riley, consultant, Paradigm Consulting, LLC, Ind.
- Janos Roper, captain, Cincinnati Fire Department
- Nicholas Siemens, consultant, Strategic Management and Consulting, Wis.
- Gary Weiss, project manager, HEPACO, Flo.
Springfield Fire and Rescue Division consists of more than 130 sworn personnel members, according to the city’s job posting.
The salary range for the fire chief position was listed as $118,810 to $151,736, including a high fringe benefit offering and a 24% employer contribution to the Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund, according to the job posting.
The city has employed a local government consulting firm, Management Advisory Group (MAG) to assist with recruiting. The Management Advisory group worked with the Springfield City Commission, the city manager’s executive leadership team, a local union and other community leaders to identify the challenges Springfield’s next fire chief may face.
These include recruitment and retention, staff development, labor relations, turnover in the fire marshal and inspection bureau and community relations.
Another challenge interests groups identified to the firm include the construction of four fire stations in the city.
“The new chief will play a lead role in socializing these changes within the community, coordinating construction with appropriate city staff and collaborating entities (with Clark State College), and ensuring timely transition and operational startup of the new stations,” according to the job posting.
Springfield city officials announced in November plans for four new fire stations to roll out in the coming years, with ground already being broken for the Station #2 project on South Limestone Street.
Additional new stations are planned for the intersection of Kenton and Burt Streets, on Route 41 and on Zischler Street. Planning for how the space in those new buildings will be used will begin this year with construction completion anticipated for by the end of 2024.
The applications will be turned over to city manager Bryan Heck. Those candidates will be reviewed and interviewed by city officials and will then be moved to an assessment center process conducted by the consultant. The next fire chief will be selected by Heck and affirmed by the city commission, according to a city press release.
Miller took on his role in 2017 and has served in the fire division for more than 31 years.
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