SPRINGDALE — The Civil Service Commission picked a new Springdale fire chief this week who came not only from outside the department but also out of state.
Michael Irwin, 53, who will start work within a month, is the fire chief of Pocatello, Idaho. He will replace Duane Atha, who retired in December.
Irwin was chosen in a nationwide search that began in January and drew more than 70 applications. Irwin said he became interested in the position after investigating the city.
“Springdale is an aggressive community that is growing,” Irwin said. “It presented an opportunity and a challenge that I wanted to be a part of.”
Getting closer to the Midwest also was a plus, Irwin said. Irwin moved to Idaho from Lee’s Summit, Mo., a suburb of Kansas City.
Irwin will oversee a department of 117 with a budget of $9.5 million. Irwin will be paid $90,465, Mayor Doug Sprouse said.
Irwin is aware of the city’s bond election Aug. 14, he said. If the bonds are approved, two fire stations will be relocated.
“I have looked at those stations and I agree they need to be replaced,” Irwin said. “They will only hold one engine and weren’t made to house three firefighters. Replacing and moving the stations should make the department more efficient.”
The Civil Service Commission, which hires and fires police and fire chiefs, interviewed five finalists last week. The choice was very difficult, Chairman Dave Chapman said.
“We tried to look at all of the factors,” Chapman said. “We were looking for the all around right candidate.”
Before becoming the Pocatello fire chief in 2009, Irwin worked as the assistant fire chief of operations in Lee’s Summit, Mo. He started as a firefighter in Lee’s Summit in 1989, according to his job application.
Irwin has a master’s degree in business administration from Baker University in Baldwin, Kan., and a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Phoenix.
Arkansas, Pages 17 on 07/27/2012