Five finalists named for Cedar Rapids fire chief post; two locals included

Five candidates from among 43 applicants have been selected as finalists to become the city's next fire chief.

Two of the five are current Cedar Rapids Fire Department commanders: Mark English, who has served two recent stints as the city's interim fire chief and is currently in that position, and Gregory Smith, a battalion chief and interim assistant fire chief.

The other finalists are Gregg Cleveland, fire chief in La Crosse, Wis; John "David" Feichtner, staff lieutenant at the Farmington Hills, Mich., Fire Department; and Greg Main, chief of operations at the Evansville, Ind., Fire Department.

The Cedar Rapids Civil Service Commission has analyzed the applicant pool, a process that included interviews with nine candidates. All nine were certified by the commission and their names forwarded to City Manager Jeff Pomeranz.

Pomeranz has chosen the five finalists for additional evaluation.