Search is on for new Columbia fire chief
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The search is on for a new Columbia fire chief after Andy Woody announced plans last week to leave for a new position in Arkansas.
According to Southern Arkansas University Tech, Andy Woody will take over as the next director of the Arkansas Fire Training Academy.
Columbia hired Woody as its fire chief in December 2019. Woody served as chief of the Searcy, Arkansas Fire Department before coming to Columbia.
According to Southern Arkansas University Tech, Woody brings 25 years of fire experience to the college.
New City Manager De'Carlon Seawood will make the new hire, with assistance from other city staff.
Sydney Olsen, Public Information Officer with the City of Columbia said the city is looking for someone who represents its citizens and its values.
"We want someone who can represent the city in the best light, who's there for their employees and understands what the job entails and has experience," Olsen said.
Olsen said Seawood is looking into a search firm, and will look nation and even world wide for a candidate. The city has not yet chosen a firm.
"If we use a search form for this hiring process there will be a cost association with that. I don't exactly know what that cost will look like yet. With the resources that they provide for the search to find viable candidates, sometimes it is really a good way to go," Olsen said.
Olsen said it is important for the new chief to be a team player and care about its staff.
"We hope for the new chief to be a team player. We say Columbia is the best place to work learn and play and we hope to hire someone who can really uphold those standards, and I have no doubt we will find someone that is a great fit for the city and we hope they will stick around for a while," Olsen said.
Zack Privette, President of Columbia Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 1055, told ABC 17 News he is thankful for Woody's leadership as fire chief.
"I just need to say thank you to Chief Woody, he took over in a really tough time with COVID and he did an incredible job in leading our department for the last couple years," Privette said. "So we need I'd be remiss if I didn't take a few moments to say thank you and we appreciate the time and service that he gave to Columbia, the City of Columbia and to our members."
Columbia hired Woody as its fire chief in December 2019. Woody served as chief of the Searcy, Arkansas Fire Department before coming to Columbia.
According to Southern Arkansas University Tech, Woody brings 25 years of fire experience to the college.
Privette said Local 1055 will assist the city in looking for a new fire chief. He said 1055 is hoping for the next fire chief to be a bold leader and visionary.
"We have a staffing and a recruiting retention problem and really the new leader is going to have to have a visionary type of personality, somebody who can look into the future and determine ... the best model is moving forward. How are we gonna recruit retain new employees what are we offering that other places aren't," Privette said.
The department looking to hire around eight more employees through attrition and retirement, Privette said. Privette said coronavirus has put a strain on the department. The department staff has accumulated 40,000 more hours of overtime since the beginning of February 2020.
"I have to give so much credit to our people," Privette said. "They've stepped up to help their brothers out. When there was overtime available, they stepped up. They've stepped in and made sure that the trucks were open and that we were providing the same level of service that we always have."
Privette said he admires how Woody changed the culture in the fire department to being more employee-centered.
"How can we make sure that we keep our companies open, keep our employees happy, and that way we can move forward? I think the next fire chief has to build off of that," Privette said.
Privette said it could take months before a new fire chief is chosen.
