Charles City seeking new Fire Chief

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City Fire Department is on the hunt for a new fire chief.

In late 2022, following the departure of then Fire Chief Eric Whipple, firefighter Marty Parcher came out of retirement to take on the position.

“I came back to help them out, which turned into a fairly long time of doing it,” said Parcher.

Over the last year and a half, Parcher has worked to transform the department from one centered on its full-time firefighters into one focused on its volunteers. After building up a roster of volunteer firefighters, Parcher is getting ready to pass the reins to a new, permanent chief.

“I think I’ve got things rolling in a good direction,” he said.

The city of Charles City is now accepting applications for the position, with all submissions due by April 12. From there, candidates will need to be tested and interviewed by the Civil Service Commission.

“Hopefully, if things work well, by the end of May they may have somebody decided,” said Parcher.

The job listing on the Charles City website, www.cityofcharlescity.org, calls for someone with five years of experience as a firefighter, or three years with a fire department and two years of “comparable experience and/or educational training.”

“The fire chief would supervise a volunteer department of about 25 firefighters,” it says, and “would oversee the everyday operations of the Fire Department including public outreach, budget, maintenance and more.” The notice lists a salary of $65,000 to $80,000 annually, depending on qualifications.

In the meantime, Parcher plans to continue serving for as long as he is needed. Though he is looking forward to going back into retirement, he said he’ll be happy to stay available to make sure the new chief has a smooth transition.

“I’ll stay on for whatever is needed,” said Parcher. “I’m not in a major hurry to walk away.”