AFTER SIX MONTHS OF SEARCHING AND INTERVIEWING 57 CANDIDATES, Springfield, Missouri, has a new fire chief this week. Former assistant chief David Hall will be stepping up after serving the past six months as interim co-chief with Asst. Ch. Randy Villines.
When former Fire Chief Barry Rowell retired in June, Hall and Villines were appointed to operate the department while the hiring process was undertaken. Villines had declined to apply for the chief’s position.
The department has just gone through some unusually tough times with some layoffs, rotating brownouts, the possibility of an ISO rating reduction and a defunct pension fund. In November the citizens approved a ballot measure to increase the local sales tax by 3/4-percent to restore the fire and police pensions to viability. On July 1, as a result of the new tax, other funds will be available to start hiring to fill the 17 vacancies that the FD currently has. That means the fire department likely will have to continue periodically closing fire units and stations until about September, Hall told the Springfield News-Leader (HERE), when new firefighters will make it easier to maintain minimum staffing levels and keep all stations open.
In the short term, the department also will begin implementing an action plan meant to help maintain the city’s ISO rating.
Springfield has held a 2 rating — 1 being the best on the 10-point scale — for the past decade, but the national fire safety rating company alerted the fire department in November that it would drop to a 3 in May.
Hall has pitched a plan he hopes will avoid the drop, which could cause some home and business insurance rates to increase.
KOLR/KSFX – TV has more of the story and a good video report HERE.
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