Career firefighters and volunteers petition to bring back Kirk Stickels.

Because the flames they battle wait for no one, firefighters must make hasty decisions.

But the idea that the Bainbridge Island Fire Department’s search for a new chief will end before it begins – with the rehiring of former chief Kirk Stickels, in lieu of reviewing a full slate of candidates – has some wondering where the fire is.

Island firefighters are urging the fire board to hire Stickels to succeed Jim Walkowski, who left the department in April. Former fire board member Glen Tyrrell has filled in as interim chief since that time.

For firefighters, 42 of whom have signed a petition strongly backing Stickels, it’s about bringing in someone who is well-liked and, more importantly, familiar with the department.

“Kirk is the right guy for the job,” said firefighter Ken Beach, of Stickels. “If we go outside we may not get the correct person for the position.”

The three fire commissioners are deliberating over whether to hire Stickels or conduct a nationwide search for the island’s next fire chief. They will announce their decision at the board’s next meeting on Wednesday.

In a July letter to the board, career and volunteeer firefighters cited Stickels’ management philosophy, leadership style, technical knowledge and prior experience with the county and the city as reasons why he should again be chief.

Stickels, who left the department in 2000 after nine years there, said this week that he would be interested in returning “under the right circumstances,” though no formal proposal has been made.

Stickels recently returned to the North Kitsap area after a stint in Alaska. He currently is port manager for the city of Poulsbo.

Beach said a big concern of firefieghters is finding a chief who knows how to manage a staff that is largely composed of volunteers.

“It’s difficult to understand the way we work with our volunteer program,” he said. “We could get an excellent chief, but that won’t matter if he doesn’t know how to work with our volunteers.”

The difficulty, he said, comes in balancing the proper amount of training with the personal lives of volunteers.

“Volunteers need to be trained well enough to perform the job and know what they’re doing,” Beach said. “But because they’re not paid you also have to be flexible enough to allow them to complete the training on their own schedule, not the department’s.”

Beach said finding that balance is key, which is why he and others at the department are pulling for Stickels, who has done the job before.

But by all accounts, Stickels’ credentials are not an issue. Those opposed to a hasty rehire, including fire commissioner Earl Johnson, agree that he may be the best candidate for the position – they simply want to be sure.

“I’m not opposed to Kirk Stickels,” Johnson said. “I’m opposed to circumventing a full- blown search for the best candidate.”

Johnson admitted that, unlike the other commissioners, he doesn’t have a long history with the department or Stickels.

But he cited the importance of the decision and said he will fight to ensure the department exercises due diligence.

“We need to make sure we have the right person in charge,” he said. “It’s not only about who’s right for the department, but who’s right for the community.”

Like Johnson, members of taxpayer watchdog Bainbridge Resource Group believe the fire department should at least look elsewhere.

“We couldn’t have been more unanimous in urging a full search process,” said BRG founder Bob Fortner, of the group’s position. “I saw the incredibly positive change Jim Walkowski brought to the department. I’d hate to see them go backwards because of this.”

The BRG has sent its own letter to the fire commissioners, urging the board to follow through with a full hiring process.

Fire commissioner Jim Johnson was less forthcoming than Earl Johnson about his personal stance, but did say forgoing a search to rehire Stickels would “save taxpayers a lot of money.”

Stickels’ familiarity with the department and the island, he said, would also be a plus.

“Eighty-five to 90 percent of people on the island, when they call 911, don’t care who’s running the department,” Jim Johnson said. “All they care about is that someone responds to help them. That’s what it boils down to.”

The third fire commissioner, David Coatsworth, was out of town this week and unavailable for comment.

Earl Johnson said the composition of the Bainbridge Fire Department – which is about two-thirds volunteer – is becoming increasingly rare in other communities, where departments have gone to mostly paid staffs.

Knowing that, he acknowledged the members’ concerns about hiring a chief who knows how to deal with volunteers.

“There is a lot of concern that an outside candidate might not have the inside knowledge that would help them to manage a blended department like this one,” he said.

That said, he cited training and safety captain Dave Dilly and fire marshal Jared Moravec as recent examples of successful hires from outside the department.

Meanwhile, Stickels, who said he is very happy with his current job, isn’t holding his breath.

“Everyone is just getting a measure of where things are at this point,” he said. “It’s an important position and I know the organization wants the best possible person in there.”

Though Stickels is familiar with the department, he did say the role of chief has changed considerably since he held the position.

During his earlier tenure, the department had an executive director, who was responsible for administrative duties, leaving the chief in charge of operations.

But the department has since eliminated the director position, and management duties now fall to the chief, with day-to-day operations being controlled by the operations chief.

Still, many at the department are confident Stickels can adapt to the changes.

“We believe he (Stickels) has the administrative skills required to maintain the department’s high level of administrative operations and financial accountability,” the department’s letter to the commissioners said.

Fortner doesn’t disagree, but would prefer that the department expand its search.

“He may be the best candidate,” Fortner said. “But I encourage people to come to the meeting and urge a full hiring process.”

Even if the commissioners do decide to extend their search, Beach said the firefighters will support them.

“We’ll do whatever it takes,” he said, “to get the best person in here to do the job.”