Fire Chief Kevin Carey has stepped aboard to run the Crescent City Fire and Rescue Department.Chief Carey brings an extensive fire service background to Crescent, with 20 years experience with the Torrance Fire Department where he attained the rank of captain. Recently he has served at the Pelican Bay State Prison.“We are really fortunate to have Chief Carey come on board,” said City Manager Eric Wier. “He is the right person to take this department forward.”#placement_573654_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid573654 = window.pid573654 || rnd;var plc573654 = window.plc573654 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=573654;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid573654+';place='+(plc573654++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');During a “tough interview process” that involved some very qualified candidates, Wier said that he was not simply trying to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Chief Bill Gillespie. Rather, Wier was looking for a candidate who could respond to two concerns: “One, will he meet the needs of the department?; and two, will he meet the needs of the community?”If the right candidate didn’t come forward with the right answers, Wier said he would have passed on the panel of candidates and not made a hiring recommendation. But as interviews progressed into the second round, “the answers that came from Carey were a resounding ‘Yes’.”Wier, himself, is a former member of the Crescent City Fire and Rescue Department, an organization that “depends on its volunteers,” Wier said. “They are our greatest assets.”Wier said the city intends to hire two paid fire captain positions that will serve as mentors to the volunteer crew, and begin to fill in the leadership ranks.“Carey has both large organization experience and small-town loyalty,” Wier said. “He wanted to be move to this community. He moved his family here.” And, although he has “big shoes to fill, he is the right man to take this department forward.”Wier said that the public will have an opportunity to meet Chief Carey at the 4th of July events, where the fire department will be set up in a booth. Both City Manager Wier and Fire Chief Carey would be particularly delighted to meet men and women who would be interested in serving as volunteer firefighters. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1515727'); });