Columbia’s city manager expects to make a final selection on the new fire chief “in the coming weeks.”
Former fire chief Clayton Farr Jr. retired in April, and there are 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. City manager De’Carlon Seewood tells 939 the Eagle that 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 says.
The city plans a meet-and-greet with the four finalists on Thursday from 5-7 pm at city hall. You’ll have the opportunity to drop in Thursday anytime in that two-hour window to speak to the finalists.
