ROGERS — A 15-year veteran of the Rogers Fire Department was appointed deputy fire chief.
Bryan Hinds, the only internal candidate for the position, was selected from a group of 10 other applicants from several states, said Tom Jenkins, fire chief.
Hinds was chosen by the Civil Service Commission following interviews of the candidates.
“There wasn’t a test,” Hinds said. “It was just an interview process.”
Hinds replaces Jake Rhoades who left the department to accept the fire chief’s job in Edmond, Okla.
A former battalion chief, Hinds began his career with the Rogers Fire Department as a firefighter.
“I’ve worked my way up the ladder,” Hines said. “I became a paramedic, then captain and battalion chief. I am looking forward to my new position. I’ll have a lot more responsibility.”
As deputy chief, Hinds will be in charge of training, special operations and professional development, Jenkins said.
“Bryan will have the same responsibilities Jake had,” Jenkins said. “We’re glad Hinds was promoted. I think he going to do a great job for the department.”
Hinds comes from a firefighting family. He has relatives who served in the Springdale Fire Department for many years.
He said his father, Virgle Hinds, was a Springdale Fire Department battalion chief and served in the department for 27 years. An uncle, David Hinds, was Springdale fire chief for a few years.
“I don’t know why I came to the Rogers Fire Department rather than Springdale,” Hinds said. “I guess I just wanted to make my own way.”
With Hinds’ promotion there is a battalion chief slot open at the Rogers department.
“We’ve already started looking for a replacement,” Jenkins said. “We are advertising nationally in an effort to find the best qualified candidates. They will go through the Civil Service Commission, just as Hinds did, to apply for the position. We want to find the right guy who is the right fit for our department.”