Lincoln Fire chief Niles Ford is one of seven finalists vying for the job of Fire chief in Austin, Texas, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
CORY MATTESON / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Monday, October 6, 2008 7:00 pm
By Nov. 1, the Austin, Texas, Fire Department expects to hire its next fire chief.
The job could go to Lincoln’s chief, Niles Ford.
Ford is one of seven finalists vying for the position, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
Ford declined comment Monday night when reached by cell phone but said he would discuss the matter soon.
He is also named as a finalist in an Oct. 3 press release from the Austin Fire Department. According to the release, Ford and the other candidates will be interviewed in Austin this week, and the field will be narrowed over the next few weeks.
Lincoln mayoral aide Rick Hoppe said Monday night that Mayor Chris Beutler was aware Ford is a candidate for the job.
“Chief Ford is an outstanding fire chief,” Hoppe said. “It’s not a stretch to think other fire departments would want him to be their fire chief.
“We hope he stays in Lincoln because he’s done a great job here.”
Ford was hired on Aug. 24, 2007, following the resignation of Chief Mike Spadt, who was asked to step down due to his role in the purchase of $2 million worth of fire trucks that did not meet city specifications.
Ford, who has more than 17 years of fire and public safety experience, was one of 18 applicants for Lincoln’s opening. He came here after four years in the Fulton County, Ga., Fire Department near Atlanta, where he was a deputy fire chief. He had not been chief of a department prior to becoming Lincoln’s.
“The city’s long wait is over,” Beutler said in announcing Ford’s hiring. “The trauma that the fire department has been experiencing is over, and we’re going to move ahead to a new era under the leadership of Mr. Niles Ford.”
According to the American-Statesman, the seven finalists were selected from 38 applicants. Ford is among four of those remaining who have held their current positions for less than two years.
Ford is in charge of a $24 million fire department budget in Lincoln. The Austin Fire Department, according to the American-Statesman, has about 1,100 members, 44 fire stations and a budget of $127 million.
Ford began his job in Lincoln Oct. 1 of 2007 earning an annual salary of $113,000. According to the Fresno (Calif.) Bee, the former Austin fire chief had an annual salary of about $150,000.
“We assume the range will be around there although the salary is still negotiable,” Austin spokeswoman Leslie Schneiweiss told the Bee, which reported on a candidate from that city.
Reach Cory Matteson at 473-7438 or cmatteson@journalstar.com.