Sparks fly at fire hall over search for chief

Published 1:00 pm Saturday, September 2, 2006

The selection process will open up, a move that angers firefighters.

In a move that provoked anger among a full gallery of firefighters, Bainbridge fire commissioners Wednesday voted to undertake a formal search process for the department’s next chief.

The vote assured the department won’t rehire former chief Kirk Stickels without first looking at other candidates, and followed a decision to ask island voters whether to expand the fire board itself from three to five members.

“To circumvent a competitive hiring process for chief would be an abrogation of this board’s responsibility,” Commissioner Dave Coatsworth said, in a prepared statement he read as the meeting began. “But more importantly, it would run counter to my ethical standard that hiring must be predicated on merit regardless of gender, color or the wants of the membership.”

Coatsworth said he would not support any move to hire Stickels without a formal application process – which, he added, would likely “reveal (Stickels’) strengths and make him the frontrunner candidate.”

Coatsworth, who earlier had supported the immediate rehire of Stickels, also introduced the resolution to expand the board.

Stickels – who served as fire chief from 1993 to 2001, and now manages the port of Poulsbo – was the favored choice among firefighters. Supporters cited his experience balancing the needs of the department’s unusually high number of volunteers with those of the paid staff. Forty-two firefighters signed a petition urging his rehire.

Nonetheless, Coatsworth and commissioner Earl Johnson voted for a full search, with commissioner Jim Johnson casting the lone dissenting vote.

The search, which may still include Stickels as a candidate, will begin immediately. The board said it hoped to compile a pool of candidates by the end of September.

Interim fire chief Glen Tyrrell is signed on through October.

The expense of an expanded search – cited by several firefighters as another reason to go with Stickels – is expected to cost less than $5,000, business administrator Carol Mezen said.

Coatsworth said tension within the department had caused him to consider leaving the board and the department, but Tyrrell talked him out of it.

That tension also prompted the resolution to expand the board.

If passed by voters, the fire board would appoint two new commissioners, with terms set to end in 2007 and 2009. Following that, the two new seats would be part of the normal election cycle.

The length of the terms would remain at six years.

“I think it will take pressure off the commissioners and allow us to discuss things more freely,” said Commissioner Jim Johnson. As for the decision to conduct a search for chief, he was disappointed, but not shocked.

“I kind of had a feeling it would go the way it went,” he said.

So did many firefighters, who felt the outcome was determined before they were allowed their say. Several plugged Stickels anyway in hopes of swaying the commissioners.

“I think a lot of us know that bringing in Kirk is the right thing to do,” firefighter Dave Hannon said. “Kirk has already gone through the testing. He’s already proven he’s the number one candidate. It would be a travesty to spend the money on a search.”

Firefighter Jim Dow said rehiring Stickels was one of the few issues on which the majority of the department could agree.

“This isn’t for our own self interest, but for the citizens of Bainbridge Island,” he said. “This chief will preside over a critical period in the department’s history. We need to have the right person if we’re going to continue to serve the citizens at the high level we do now.”

On Thursday, Stickels said he was happy with his current job, but hadn’t ruled out other possibilities for his future.

Firefighters lined the gallery walls in anticipation of the decision, which was met with sighs of disappointment; several huffed out in anger.

Commissioner Earl Johnson commended Coatsworth for having the courage to change his mind about the hiring process.

“We represent the taxpayers, not the membership,” he said. “It’s hard to stand up and disagree with people you respect so much.”

Coatsworth agreed.

“It wasn’t easy,” he said. “I have a lot of friends and colleagues in the department and I know how much they wanted Kirk to be the next chief. But it’s time to firm up the hiring process. I love this fire department and hope we can move forward from here.”

Tyrrell said members fear the wrong chief could curtail volunteerism. But he was confident the right candidate would be hired.

“We cherish the volunteers of this organization,” Tyrrell said. “And we will strive in every facet of this process to find someone who will keep this functioning as a combination department. That is paramount.”