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Sparta Finding New Fire Chief, Young Set To Retire July 1

The City of Sparta looking for a new fire chief following the announcement that Chief Kirk Young will retire.

Young has spent 40 years with the Sparta Fire Department, and has been the Chief since 2011. City Administrator Tonya Tindle said replacing someone with Young’s history will be difficult.

“I think we need someone that has problem solving skills. decision making ability, and they also need to fit the culture that’s already in the organization with the City of Sparta and the fire hall,” Tindle said.

Young’s retirement is set for July 1, but Tindle said his successor is unlikely to be hired until August. Tindle said the hiring process is in its early stages, as the City and MTAS are working on updating the job description. Tindle said that description has not been updated in over 20 years.

Tindle said the old description needed updating since it was a general posting for a city position. Tindle said the job description is being changed to reflect the specific duties of a fire chief, and the positing should be available by the end of the week.

Tindle said the department has seen a lot of change since the job description was last updated.

“We’ve added a different fire hall and we also have added different positions, so the hierarchy inside the fire hall has changed,” Tindle said.

Once the job is posted, Tindle said applicants will be screened by a panel, per MTAS recommendations. Tindle said the panel will include other fire chiefs and city officials. Tindle said the candidate pool will then be narrowed, and interviews will be conducted.

Tindle said the fire chief is important to both public safety and the department’s daily operation.

“They need somebody to lead them,” Tindle said. “That’s what it is. A fire chief is supposed to be able to make sure they have the equipment that they need to and that it’s running.”

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