SPRINGDALE — The Civil Service Commission chose a new fire chief Monday who comes not only from outside the department but also out of state.
AT A GLANCE
Springdale Salaries
Top salaries of nonelected city officials:
Employee Job Salary
Kathy O’Kelley Police chief $90,465
Michael Irwin Fire chief $90,465
Wyman Morgan Administration director $84,974
Patsy Christie Planning director $84,031
Sam Goade Public Works director $84,031
Source: City Of Springdale
Mayor Doug Sprouse introduced Michael Irwin, 53, who will start work at the department within a month. Irwin, fire chief of Pocatello, Idaho, will replace Duane Atha, who retired in December.
Irwin was chosen in a nationwide search that began in January and drew more than 70 applications. Irwin said he became interested in the position after investigating the city.
“Springdale is an aggressive community that is growing,” Irwin said. “It presented an opportunity and a challenge that I wanted to be a part of.”
Returning to the Midwest also was a plus, Irwin said. Irwin moved to Idaho from Lee’s Summit, a suburb of Kansas City, Mo.
Irwin will oversee a department of 117 people with a budget of $9.5 million. Irwin will be paid $90,465, Sprouse said. Sprouse will be Irwin’s supervisor.
The annual salary is the same Atha was paid, according to the 2012 budget.
Two incidents marred the fire department’s reputation after Atha left. A former mechanic, Ted Ball, was convicted in Springdale District Court in April of theft of property for purchasing automobile parts through city accounts and using them to repair private vehicles.
Also, officials discovered photos of scantily-clad women were taken in 2009 at a city fire station.
One bad apple can ruin the trust of city residents, Irwin said.
“The fire department comes into the homes of the public during their worst moments,” Irwin said. “We are there for fires and emergency medical calls. We need to make sure our people realize we are servants of the public and help the public’s opinion of us grow.”
The last year has been difficult for the fire department, Sprouse said, adding, “We have a great department. Other departments around the region, state and nation recognize that.”
Sprouse said he’d like to make sure city residents also recognize the value of the department.
Irwin is aware of the bond election Aug. 14, he said. If the bonds are approved, two fire stations will be relocated.
“I have looked at those stations and I agree they need to be replaced,” Irwin said. “They will only hold one engine and weren’t made to house three firefighters. Replacing and moving the stations should make the department more efficient.”
The commission, which hires and dismisses fire and police chiefs, interviewed five finalists last week. The choice was very difficult, said Chairman Dave Chapman.
“We tried to look at all of the factors,” Chapman said. “We were looking for the all-around right candidate.”
Before becoming the Pocatello fire chief in 2009, Irwin worked as the assistant fire chief of operations in Lee’s Summit, Mo. He started as a firefighter in Lee’s Summit in 1989, according to his job application.
Irwin has a master’s degree in business administration from Baker University in Baldwin, Kan., and a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Phoenix.