Two Juneau fire chief finalists set for presentations at City Hall next week
- Mark Sabbatini
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 6 minutes ago
Out-of-town applicants to be CCFR’s new leader will appear at public meetings Monday and Tuesday
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
This story has been corrected to note the meetings are public presentations by the finalists, not official interviews by the Juneau Assembly.
Two out-of-town finalists hoping to be the next chief of Capital City Fire/Rescue are scheduled to make their cases during public meetings Monday and Tuesday.
Sean Wisner, current Fire Chief for Alyeska Pipeline Fire & Rescue, is scheduled to make a presentation at 5 p.m. Monday in the Assembly Chambers at City Hall, according to a press release issued by the city on Thursday. Thomas Hatley, a 30-year firefighter who most recently was deputy fire chief for the Spokane Valley Fire Department, is scheduled to appear at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
"All finalists will participate in an on-site selection process, including meetings with CCFR staff and a public presentation," the release notes. Also, "after each presentation, the public is welcome to submit feedback on each candidate" with feedback forms available at City Hall.
A new leader is being sought because CCFR Chief Rich Etheridge is retiring after a nearly 35-year career. He has been head of the department for more than 15 years.
"The finalists for the CCFR Chief were selected after initial screening by the Human Resources and Risk Management Director and interviews with the City Manager’s Office," the press release issued by the city notes. "Prior to the initial interviews, the Managers Office additionally sought to understand the needs and priorities of CCFR staff and what they are looking for in a future Chief."
Wisner, who has more than 20 years of leadership experience, currently leads a 75-member organization responsible for protecting the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and Valdez Marine Terminal, according to the release. He also was honored this year as a member of Recover Alaska’s Sober Hero Hall of Fame, is an ultra-distance triathlon competitor and is the founder of a leadership consulting firm specializing in organizational resilience and performance.
Hatley, who grew up in Washington, started his firefighting career as a volunteer for Whitman County Fire District in 1992. Five years later he became a full-time firefighter for the Lewiston Fire Department and has remained in the Pacific Northwest since. A past employer biography notes "he worked on the farm in his free time, (and) part-time with the United States Forest Service and the Department of Natural Resources." As the deputy chief in Spokane, "he oversaw major operational divisions, guided strategic planning and accreditation, managed multimillion-dollar capital projects, and led interagency coordination," according to the press release issued Thursday.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
