Sandpoint reboots fire chief search

SANDPOINT — The city is going back drawing board in the search for a fire chief after four final candidates dropped out of the running.

Mayor Carrie Logan said that four of the six final candidates for the position chose to pursue other options, prompting city officials to consider new individuals for the position. Both local and out-of-town candidates are now in the running for the job that will replace Fire Chief Robert Tyler after his retirement at the end of the month. Sandpoint Fire Department personnel confirmed that Capt. Michael Gow and Lt. Mick Adams have both been granted interviews.

According to Logan, the city is moving through the list of applicants in order of qualification. The original final six candidates hailed from California, Illinois, Montana and Oregon, and all showed a high degree of experience. However, plenty of strong applicants are still available for the job.   

Tyler has been an important part of the selection process from the beginning, she added. Although he took some recent personal time to attend to family matters, he will remain an important part of the selection process and department management until his retirement.

While the majority of the original finalists have dropped out, Logan believes it shouldn’t slow down the process. According the original timetable, a candidate will be selected sometime this month. That should ready the new department head for training before Tyler makes his scheduled departure into retirement May 31.

No matter which candidate is selected, it will mean a transitional period for the fire department after almost 15 years with Tyler in the office. Originally appointed on July 19, 2000, Tyler defined his years as chief by expanding the department’s response capabilities and training procedures. His time as department head capped off a more-than-30-year career in firefighting.