17 Responses to “Seven Finalists Named For Escambia County Fire Chief”

1. overtaxed on March 28th, 2018 10:12 am

   Why in the world would they hire a volunteer chief when they would have to go through structure fire school just like a cadet would. Why not just put a cadet in charge.?? Would they let the chief of surgery at a hospital be a volunteer instead of actual licensed doctor regardless of his street smarts???

2. William on March 27th, 2018 11:52 am

   >>How come there are not any women on the list.

   Because none of the 77 applicants were female.

3. Alex on March 27th, 2018 11:42 am

   How come there are not any women on the list. Are not they just as or more qualified then men for this job. If you want a new prospective then get a qualified woman for the job. Alex for moving forward in pensacola.

4. Dribble on March 27th, 2018 8:48 am

   Good luck to all but I hope Chief David Allen gets the job. He’s always gone above and beyond in his whole life to acheive and be a good person to everyone he’s around. Never played the gob network either. There’s your local talent.

5. Just Saying on March 27th, 2018 8:13 am

   Y’all tried an outsider once. It didn’t work. Just saying…..

6. Joseph Sceville on March 27th, 2018 4:24 am

   The county fire department has been through 5 or 6 different fire chiefs in the last decade. Some of them were local, some of them were from outside. A local, affiliated applicant would certainly know the area, the employees and the system well, however, where’s the room for growth with that? Any sound business looking to get better results wouldn’t choose a CEO that would maintain par for the course. I do not think that the volunteer chiefs that were cut from the list were cut because they are volunteer, I believe they were cut for more (hopefully) qualified candidates. Being a chief of one volunteer station I imagine would be different from being a chief of an entire combination department.

7. Citizen on March 26th, 2018 11:30 pm

   Anthony Manning and mike Arron would have been a good choice and the Escambia County fire service should be ashamed of there self they would have been a good choice but do to the fact they are “volunteer chiefs” they do not get looked at they both work hard for this county day in and day out but the county rather pick someone from another state that is so dumb I would love to say more but I don’t want this post to be taken down. You all should be ashamed of your self

8. Honey on March 26th, 2018 11:15 pm

   There were a number of qualified candidates right here in escambia county. The job should be given to a local person, not an outsider. Someone who has come up thru the ranks . I realize escambia county is going to do what they want. That is apparent. But, it doesn’t make it right! Very disappointing. Once again.

9. Local Resident on March 26th, 2018 9:03 pm

   @ ME

   Fair enough… That system never seems to allow the most qualified or well suited individual an equal opportunity… Kudos…

10. Nod on March 26th, 2018 7:46 pm

    Hire local, outsiders do not understand or know us and our needs.

11. Bob C. on March 26th, 2018 7:25 pm

    Local Firefighters are AWESOME and Absolute Super Heroes when called upon in emergencies of all sorts and when participating in Good Things for their Communities.

    A very long time ago I served in US Army in a specialized job where we had all enlisted personnel and were assigned one officer.
    The officer’s job was to sign appropriate paperwork, make sure we got fed, housed and paid wherever we happened to be. He was Our Administrator and did an excellent job of that.

    That told to say it could be time for someone with great credentials from “the Outside” to come in and be that Excellent Administrator for our firefighters to represent them and to make sure all the paperwork is taken care of for them.

    Wishing OUR Firefighters Best of Luck with the new Chief.
    God Bless and Protect all of our First Responders and watch over their loved ones.
    Thank you for helping to save our lives and property.

12. Well on March 26th, 2018 6:35 pm

    So much for Social Media….
    Keep it moving.

13. Ditchdok on March 26th, 2018 5:55 pm

    I hope that these candidates have led departments where there are both paid and volunteer and that knows how to bring the two together. We are lucky to have talented, dedicated people protecting our lives and property. Thank you ECFR for a job well done.

14. Me on March 26th, 2018 5:20 pm

    @Localresident

    Outside minds bring a different perspective to the position and different leadership techniques. This also helps to prevent the “good ol’ boy” mentality that plagues many agencies.

15. Another Local Resident on March 26th, 2018 4:49 pm

    My guess is because there’s too much drama locally. It’s too political. Most just want to be a someone that feels important. The ones I know just thrive off of that!! Their heads are never quite big enough. Lol

    All of that aside, what our firefighters do is absolutely appreciated!! I know that a lot of hard work and hours of training goes into it! Thank you for that, ECFR! In my opinion, it makes complete sense as to why someone from out of town would be the best new fire chief or our county!

16. Grand Locust on March 26th, 2018 4:30 pm

    Congratulations to the selection committee not playing the GOB routine. It is refreshing to see no bias in seeking the most experienced and talented people for a position. Simply said, some fire departments are light years ahead in their implementation of programs which efficiently protect citizens with software, hardware, and personnel policies which do not have to be reinvented or evolved over a decade. The right leader can get it done. Big thumbs up, and honestly totally surprised to see the courage to do something right and ultimately better protect citizens and taxpayers.

17. Local Resident on March 26th, 2018 4:20 pm

    Do we not have enough local talent for this position… ?? Why the need or desire to pull candidates from other states ??