HANNIBAL, MO. -- The Hannibal Fire Department officially now has a new leader at the helm.
Acting Fire Chief Bill Madore has been tapped as the new fire chief.
The announcement was made at Tuesday night's Hannibal City Council meeting.
It comes 13 months of upheaval in the department.
You'll recall the previous fire chief Tim Carter faced impeachment charges, which were later dropped.
I asked Madore about his plans to lead the department forward.
Madore said, "We have a good group of firefighters who stand ready and look forward to new challenges, and as their new leader, which is an honor for me, I look forward to that."
Madore said he found out about the decision at the close of the business day Monday.
He said his first order of business is promoting acting deputy fire chief Mike Benjamin.
Madore also wanted to emphasize that even though the past 13 months have been difficult at times, firefighters have continued to do a great job and provide the level of service Hannibal residents expect and deserve.
More details courtesy of the Hannibal Courier-Post:
Madore will be city¹s next fire chief
DANNY HENLEY
danny.henley@courierpost.com
Following an interview process which saw candidates from around the country considered, when it came time to select the city of Hannibal's next fire chief the selection committee stayed within the department, choosing Acting Chief Bill Madore.
The announcement of Madore¹s selection was made by Councilman Barry Louderman, head of the Fire Board, during Tuesday night's meeting of the city council.
"He has provided stability to the department in the past year," said Louderman. "He¹s forward looking and will push the department in the right direction."
Madore, a 15-year member of the Hannibal Fire Department, will officially become the department's chief on Jan. 1, 2011. Madore has served as the department's acting chief since Chief Tim Carter was placed on administrative leave by the Fire Board in November 2009. Madore served as deputy chief for three years before being given the title of acting chief.
It was noted in a press release distributed after the council meeting that Madore¹s selection was unanimous.
The selection committee consisted of not only the three members of the Fire Board - Louderman, Councilman Kevin Knickerbocker and Councilman Lou Barta -
but also City Manager Jeff LaGarce and City Clerk Angel Vance. It was the first time in the fire department¹s history that city officials other than
the Fire Board participated in the selection of a new chief, according to the press release.
The two-month selection process started with 19 applicants from seven states. That group was narrowed to six who were interviewed via telephone. The three finalists were brought in for face-to-face interviews.
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