Four interviewed for Palmer fire chief

PALMER — In about a week, the Palmer Fire Department could have a new chief.

Dan Contini, who served as fire chief about as long as anyone can remember, retired Dec. 31. Since then, Bruce Axtell has filled in as chief.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the department interviewed all four candidates currently in contention for the seat, said Palmer’s director of emergency services Jon Owen.

Those names include Axtell, Dean Thoemke with the Homer Fire Department, William Primo, a retired battalion chief from Florida, and John McNutt, assistant chief with a department near Toledo Ohio.

Owen said all four candidates came to Palmer to interview in person with a board he’d convened of well-known faces in the emergency services world including the borough’s Deputy Emergency Services Director Clint Vardeman, the chairman of the Greater Palmer Fire Service Area board, Charles Akers, Palmer Police Chief Russ Boatright, Palmer Assistant Fire Chief David Byers, and Palmer firefighter Jana Powell.

There’s still work to be done before the department picks a chief. But Owen said it shouldn’t take long.

“We’re doing some preliminary background investigation now,” Owen said. “I should know something within about one week.”