93.9 The Eagle – The News and Talk of Columbia, MO
The four finalists for Columbia’s fire chief will meet with the public and the news media today at city hall.
Former fire chief Clayton Farr Jr. retired in April, and city manager De’Carlon Seewood has announced the four finalists for chief. They are, in alphabetical order, Columbia deputy fire chief John Ambra, MU Health Care clinical manager Chuck Doss, Columbia assistant fire chief Jeffrey Heidenreich and Spokane Washington fire chief Brian Schaeffer.
The city plans a meet-and-greet with the four finalists today from 5-7 pm. You can drop in anytime during that two-hour window to speak to the four, who will also meet with reporters. Mr. Seewood expects to make a final decision on the chief’s position in a few weeks. Under the city charter, the city manager makes the hire on fire chief. 939 the Eagle News asked Mr. Seewood about the fire chief search during his recent state of the city address. Mr. Seewood says he’s looking for a leader, saying CFD has made significant progress in the past few years:
“And so it’s someone who understands that. Someone who can make sure that we’re continually moving forward and not falling back. And so it’s somebody who can be a leader who can lead that department,” Mr. Seewood said on May 30.
