Hawai‘i County Fire Commission postpones chief interviews to September
The postponement was to allow Hawai‘i County's Department of Resources enough time to notify the finalists of the next steps in the hiring process.
7 hours ago
The selection of the Hawai‘i County Fire Chief has been pushed off for another month.
During a special meeting on Thursday in Kona, the Hawai‘i County Fire Commission voted to move the written assessment and oral interviews of the eight individuals selected from a pool of 33 applicants to Sept. 23 and Sept. 24.
The volunteer commission will select the next permanent chief on Sept. 25 to replace Kazuo Todd, who unexpectedly died on Dec. 14 at age 45, at the end of December.
The interviews and selection will take place in Hilo.
The postponement was to allow Hawai‘i County’s Department of Resources enough time to notify the finalists of the next steps in the hiring process.
Once they’ve been notified, Fire Commission Chair Gerald Kosaki said the names of candidates will be made public. He estimated that their names might be released in a week.
Deputy Chief Daniel Volpe has been serving as interim chief since Dec. 18. During a commission meeting in February, Volpe confirmed his intention to go for the permanent chief position.
The position was posted in March.
According to the County Charter, the fire chief shall have had a minimum of five years of training and experience in fire control, including at least three years of experience in a responsible administrative capacity.
Additionally, the fire chief shall have a combination of education and experience substantially equivalent to possession of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
The job listing also required residency of one year in Hawaiʻi immediately proceeding the appointment. “The Chief shall train, equip, maintain and supervise a force of firefighting, water safety, and emergency services personnel,” the job listing said.
The salary for the fire chief is set by the Salary Commission and is currently $201,204 per year.
Instructions for submitting written and oral testimony will be available online as part of the Fire Commission agenda. The calendar has not yet been updated to show the new September meeting schedule.
