City starts search for new fire chief

Last week, the city officially put the word out that it is in the beginning stages of hiring a new fire chief.

It’s been 10 months since the city fired Will Gray from that position. Since then, Assistant Chief Greg Chesser has been serving as the acting chief. He has been with the department since 2020.

The city posted the opening, which is intended to be a nationwide search for a new chief.

Last month, Acting City Manager Michael Mays said, “The city will be posting the position at the end of December. It will be a national search. The new city manager will be hiring the fire chief.”

This is fairly standard practice as the fire chief answers directly to the city manager and not the city council. In fact, the only positions within the city the council decides upon when hiring is city manager, city attorney and city clerk. The chief also answers directly to the city manager.

The city council made an offer to Ned Thomas, who is currently the city manager in Milpitas, Calif., to become Boulder City’s next city manager. As of this week, Thomas had yet to give his decision to the city.

Those looking to apply for the chief position, which pays $130,000 to nearly $192,000 a year, can do so until Jan. 30.

According to the announcement, the responsibilities and essential functions of the fire chief may include, but are not limited to the following: Plans, organizes, directs and controls the activities and personnel of the Boulder City Fire Department; serves as chief administrator of the department. Plans, organizes, directs, and controls the activities associated with the city’s Emergency Management Program; serves as Emergency Management Director for the city. Responds to major emergency incidents and assumes or delegates command. Formulates and develops long-range plans, goals and objectives for the department; assesses progress and performance.

Under “The Ideal Candidate,” it states, “The City of Boulder City is seeking a strong leader with vision and creativity to serve as the new fire chief. The ideal candidate will demonstrate analytical ability and strategic thinking for the fire department. The incoming chief will be looked upon to motivate, encourage, and establish a strong working environment with staff, as well as other agencies and organizations.”

It goes on to state that the chief will serve as an advocate on behalf of the fire department while balancing the department’s needs with the overall goals and vision for the city, as established by the city council.

“The ideal candidate will use an inclusive management style while preserving the chain of command system,” it states. “The ideal candidate will promote education and training, ongoing employee evaluations and improvement, and maintain modern fire protection methods and new technology for the department. A candidate who is both sensitive to the department’s existing culture and open to new approaches would be highly valued.”