Civil Service Commission approves use of existing firefighter candidate list after resignation

The Civil Service Commission on April 6 authorized the fire chief to use an existing candidate list to fill a vacancy created when a department member resigned during a disciplinary process. Chief Mitch Metzger told the commission he had presented a written disciplinary letter to the member, who chose to resign after a follow-up hearing, creating the vacancy.

Metzger said the commission-approved list of applicants, established in November 2025 and set to expire in about two weeks, would be used to fill the position. He said he had contacted the top three candidates: two will be interviewed in person at the station and one by phone from California. Any offer will be contingent on successful medical, physical and psychological evaluations.

Commissioner Bill Campbell moved to approve use of the established candidate list; Commissioner/Chair Hank Bynaker seconded the motion, which passed unanimously on the recorded voice roll call. The commission directed Chief Metzger to communicate the name of the top candidate to Secretary Keri Gomez once selection is complete.

The commission did not discuss specific candidate names or evaluation outcomes during the meeting. Details about the exact expiration date of the list beyond "approximately two weeks" were not specified in the record. The position will proceed through the standard conditional-offer process pending the required examinations.