Who will it be? City administration prepares for process of finding new fire chief

With the recent retirement of Wooster Fire Department Chief Roger Brenneman, the city administration is faced with finding a replacement, a process it hopes to move forward with soon.Brenneman, who resigned last month after one year as chief and 28 years in the department, is chief “in name only” until his accrued vacation runs out in June, according to director of administration Joel Montgomery. Assistant Chief Nathan Murphy has been named acting chief.Montgomery said he would like to move the process of naming a new chief along, though there is no specific time line. “I don’t want to go a long time,” Montgomery said. “I’m fearful of (Murphy) getting overwhelmed by having both duties.”Unlike other department and division managers, the fire and police chiefs are classified civil servants, said law director Richard Benson. As such, both can appeal disciplinary measures to the Civil Service Commission and can only be dismissed with cause. “The rest of us who are management and are unclassified serve at the pleasure of the mayor,” Benson said.As outlined in the city’s charter and codified ordinances, only certain persons can be considered for the open position: the assistant chief and the department’s three captains and six lieutenants. Brenneman had been assistant chief, Benson said, and before him, former Chief Rob Eyler had been a lieutenant.0x48dedd70Murphy was a firefighter before being named assistant chief several months ago, so Benson confirmed that, since his probationary period as assistant chief has passed, he would be eligible to test for the position if he chooses.0x43d53450The charter also provides that the mayor may nominate two additional candidates, Benson said, who would then be subject to the same test as internal candidates. As the process is just unfolding, the mayor has not weighed on that issue, Montgomery said.Positions of rank within the police and fire departments also make use of seniority points, which can lift a candidate in the rankings. But, Benson said, this would not be true in the case of those who apply for the chief’s spot, since the top position is considered an original appointment.The city will work with the Ohio Fire Chiefs’ Association on putting together a test, Montgomery said, that will cover general knowledge a chief would need, as well as questions specific to Wooster and its department. “There are some pretty intense scenarios they go through,” Montgomery said of those candidates who take the test, including emergency situations where quick thinking and action is involved.Once the testing is complete, the city will follow what Benson termed “the rule of three,” in which the candidates are ranked, with the top three candidates forwarded to the mayor. Though the final decision remains with the mayor — who in the end may name any of the top three as the new chief — Montgomery said he and human resources manager Jeanette Wagner will be part of the interview process. Benson and finance director Andrei Dordea also may sit in.