City names three finalists for Fire Medical chief position

photo by: Nick Krug

In this file photo from Oct. 1, 2014, Capt. Brandon Holloman. left, firefighter Trey Strohm, and engineers Jason Ray and Aaron Payne, far right, work to dry off Engine 1 outside Firehouse No. 1 in downtown Lawrence.

The City of Lawrence named three finalists for chief of the Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical Department on Friday afternoon.

Lawrence City Manager Tom Markus named Michael Baker of Tulsa, Okla., and local candidates Shaun Coffey and Tom Fagan as the finalists, according to a city news release.

The city began a search for a new chief in March. Former Lawrence Fire Chief Mark Bradford died in July 2018 and Coffey has been serving as interim fire chief since then. He has worked for the Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical Department since 1985, serving in several positions.

photo by: City of Lawrence

Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical chief candidate Shaun Coffey

Fagan, who currently serves as division chief, has been with Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical since 2017, according to the city’s website. He has a total of 20 years of experience working for volunteer and professional fire departments. The majority of his career — a period of 17 years — was with the Lee’s Summit Fire Department.

photo by: City of Lawrence

Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical chief candidate Tom Fagan

Baker, director of emergency medical services for the Tulsa Fire Department, joined the organization in 1995 and has been a nationally registered paramedic for 28 years, according to the City of Lawrence’s website. Prior to working in emergency services, Baker served 3 1/2 years as a communications systems controller in the U.S. Army.

photo by: City of Lawrence

Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical chief candidate Michael Baker

The city said the finalists would be interviewed the afternoon of June 8 at City Hall.

The candidates will also participate in two public events. In the first event, the candidates will meet with the public from 4:45 p.m. to 7 p.m. June 7 at Flory Meeting Hall at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, 2120 Harper St. In the second event, the candidates will provide presentations and take questions from the audience from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. June 8 at the Lawrence Public Library Auditorium, 707 Vermont St.

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