Date:

July 26, 2007

For More Information Contact:

Rick Hoppe, Mayor’s Office, 441-7511

Mayor Chris Beutler today announced the five finalists for the position of Fire Chief. The finalists, selected by the Mayor’s Fire Chief Selection Committee are:

• Robert Brown, Chief of Department, Stafford County Fire and Rescue in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
• Richard Fagan, retired Fire Division Chief of Lenexa, Kansas in the Kansas City metro area.
• Niles Ford, Deputy Fire Chief, Fulton County Fire Department in the Atlanta metro area.
• Mark Rohlfing, Assistant Fire Chief, Omaha Fire Department.
• James Woydziak, Fire Chief, City of Nampa, Idaho.

"I am greatly impressed by the experience, skill and qualifications these candidates could bring to our community," said Mayor Beutler. "The residents of Lincoln are very fortunate to have such high caliber individuals apply to be Fire Chief of this growing city."

The Mayor said the assets he is looking for in the new Fire Chief include experience in managing Emergency Medical Service; a strong educational background in fire operations and public or business administration; excellence communication skills; and a history of management leadership. "Each candidate has demonstrated those traits I am looking for in a Fire Chief, and I look forward to hearing their vision for the future of Lincoln Fire and Rescue," Beutler said.

The candidates will visit Lincoln the week of August 6th for final interviews with the Fire Chief Selection Committee and the Mayor.

Beutler thanked members of the Fire Chief Selection Committee for their hard work. The committee includes community members with backgrounds in firefighting and management. They include former State Senator and State Fire Marshal Wally Barnett; former Grant Fire Chief Rod Hutt; HR Connex President Mark Koller; former Building and Safety Director and Lincoln Firefighter Jerry McGinn; former Foxboro, Massachusetts Fire Chief Hobie Boswell; and Lincoln Firefighter Union President Dave Engler.