Prosser says he will pick finalists from seven candidates for fire chief for a second round of interviews

City Manager Jim Prosser said Wednesday morning he will choose finalists for another round of interviews from the group of seven candidates who are in the midst of a two-day interview process to become the city next fire chief.

Prosser on Tuesday called the competition among the seven candidates, who were picked by the city's Civil Service Commission from among 27 applicants, a good one. Four of the seven are from out of state and three are current members of the city's Fire Department.

Prosser said he hoped to name a new fire chief in mid-February. Current fire chief, Steve Havlik, retires in March.

The three local candidates for chief are Gregory Smith, battalion chief, Brian Giachino, district fire chief, and Mark English, assistant fire chief.

The four from outside Iowa are Scott Goodwin, division chief, Santa Fe Springs, Calif.; Stephen Reid, president/CEO of Stephen M. Reid and Associates, a Washington, D.C. consulting firm, and past deputy chief of emergency medical services in Washington, D.C.; Carl Austerman, who most recently was deputy fire chief, Glendale, Ariz.; and Paul Hewitt, combat battalion chief, Salt Lake City, Utah.