City of Cape searching for next fire chief

The City of Cape Girardeau, in the early 2000s, took quite a bit of time finding its fire chief.

Mike Lackman resigned in 2002 and Mark Hasheider filled in admirably as the interim chief for 18 months before the city found its man in Rick Ennis in 2004.

And Ennis has served well in that capacity for the past 14 years.

Ennis is planning to retire in a few months. Meanwhile, Hasheider, who expertly serves as the city’s emergency management director, has also talked about retirement and spending more time with his family.

So the city is looking for the right person to perhaps fill both roles.

In a position like this, the city understands from experience it might take some time to find just the right person, but city manager Scott Meyer said he hopes the city can fill the position by the time Ennis leaves. And it’s good Ennis and Hasheider are working with the city so it can be proactive in its hiring process. We would think the Cape Girardeau position would be an attractive one.

Reporter Mark Bliss recently wrote that the city has contracted with an outside firm to help with the search. According to the firm’s website, the starting salary range for the fire chief is in the $78,000 to $82,000 range, but could grow to $119,000.

City officials obtained input from current fire department employees and command staff about the qualities needed in a chief, and the city will use that information as it proceeds with the recruitment. The city has not ruled out the possibility of promoting from within the department, but the city has a recent history of hiring from outside the city. Ennis, Meyer, police chief Wes Blair and parks director Julia Jones are a few examples of people brought in from outside the city, with each bringing different perspectives and tactics than their predecessors.

The city appears to be taking a good approach to the hiring process. Here’s hoping the city lands a great prospect to lead our fire and emergency services in the city.