Fire chief's post attracts more than 100 applicants

The name of Charleston's next fire chief could be among a stack of resumes sitting on Mayor Joe Riley's desk.

As of Monday, the recruiting firm the city hired to conduct the national search, Waters-Oldani Executive Recruitment, has collected more than 100 resumes from candidates around the country hoping to succeed former fire chief Rusty Thomas. Thomas announced his retirement May 14, the day before the public release of a consultant's report highly critical of his department's handling of the Sofa Super Store fire that killed nine Charleston firefighters on June 18, 2007.

Riley received an initial batch of about 25 resumes Friday. He said he scanned the stack and is "very impressed and very optimistic."

Jerry Oldani, the recruiting firm's senior vice president, said the number of resumes was beyond the 60 to 75 applicants he had expected. The credentials of applicants also are impressive, Oldani said. "It's going extremely well. We have some sterling applicants. I'm quite pleased."

Oldani said he and Riley plan to sit down by the end of this month to begin whittling down the pool of candidates that comes primarily from the Southeast.

Riley said the process is on schedule to produce a new fire chief by the end of September.

But if the city's search for a new police chief three years ago is any indication, the timetable could slip. The search to replace former Charleston Police Chief Reuben Greenberg, who retired in August 2005, had been slated to take only until the end of that year. Nearly a year passed, however, before the city announced the hiring of Greg Mullen as Greenberg's replacement in August 2006. The city also hired an executive recruiting firm to head the police chief search.

Riley said at the time that the hiring process took longer than expected because his confidence in the then-interim police chief to keep the department on course and under solid leadership allowed the city to be patient until the perfect candidate emerged.

Riley has expressed similar faith in Assistant Fire Chief Ronnie Classen, 58, who is serving as interim fire chief while the city searches for a permanent replacement for Thomas.

Among the qualifications the city is said to be seeking in a new fire chief are service of seven to 10 years in the top ranks of a fire department at least as large as Charleston's and experience working in an urban environment with historic structures. The city also wants a forward-looking leader who has experience achieving national accreditation for a Fire Department.

The city is paying Oldani $22,500 plus travel expenses to conduct the search. That investment is paying off, given the number and experience level of applicants to date, Riley said.

Reach Ron Menchaca at rmenchaca@postandcourier.com or 937-5724.