The City of Des Moines has announced four finalists for the Des Moines Fire Department’s next chief.
The Des Moines Civil Service Commission certified a list of eligible candidates in early December, part of the process for recruiting the successor to Des Moines Fire Chief John TeKippe. TeKippe, who announced his plans to retire in August, will leave his role Dec. 22 after about 16 years in charge of the department and more than three decades in firefighting.
The four finalists include professionals from Illinois and Texas, as well as one person from the Des Moines Fire Department, according to a news release published Monday, Dec. 8. City and fire department staff, council members, Local 4 union members and a retired fire department leader will interview the finalists later this week. The chief is expected to be named later in December.
The candidates for fire chief are:
Jonathan Lund
Lund is the fire marshal for the Des Moines Fire Department, overseeing fire prevention, protection and investigations.
Lund started with the fire department in 2008. He also served as a captain and EMT with the Norwalk Fire Department for 12 years. Lund has a master’s degree in public administration from Drake University and a bachelor’s degree in fire protection and safety engineering technology.
David McCabe
McCabe served as the fire chief for the Aurora Fire Department in Aurora, Illinois, before retiring in November.
McCabe began his career with the Aurora Fire Department in 1997. As chief, he oversaw the department’s operations, administration, fire prevention division and emergency management agency. McCabe earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology-criminology from Northern Illinois University.
Michael Mire
Mire is an assistant fire chief with the City of Houston Fire Department, overseeing emergency response command for the city.
Mire began his career in firefighting as a firefighter/paramedic with the City of New Orleans in 1997 after serving in the U.S. Army. He joined the Houston Fire Department in 2002 and became assistant fire chief in 2017. Mire obtained a master’s in human resource development from Texas A&M University, a bachelor’s in public service leadership from the University of Houston and an associate in applied science in fire science/officer specialization from Houston Community College.
Bryan Norris
Norris was the emergency management coordinator in San Antonio before retiring in March.
Norris began his career with the San Antonio Fire Department in 2002 as a firefighter, holding roles including division chief and assistant chief. Norris holds an MBA in public administration and a bachelor’s in fire science from Columbia Southern University.
Virginia Barreda is the Des Moines city government reporter for the Register. She can be reached at vbarreda@dmreg.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines names 4 finalists for city’s fire chief. Who are they?
Reporting by Virginia Barreda, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
