Five finalists selected for fire chief; public reception to be held Aug. 2, 2017

The City of North Liberty will host an open house for the public to meet the finalists for the Fire Chief position on Wednesday, Aug. 2, from 4:30 to 6 p.m., at the North Liberty Community Library, 520 W Cherry St. The informal reception will offer members of the public a chance to meet the candidates and offer input in the final selection.

“We were very pleased with the deep pool of qualified candidates we had to choose from,” said Ryan Heiar, North Liberty City Administrator. “Getting the public’s input will be vital to the final decision on a role that is incredibly important to our community.”

The five finalists are:

• Steven Denzien, lieutenant in Brookfield, Wisc.
• William Houser, captain in Marion, Iowa
• Richard Kurka, battalion chief in Bloomingdale, Ill.
• Jared Ogbourne, captain with Mason City, Iowa
• Brian Platz, deputy chief with Iowa City, Iowa

The search for a fulltime fire chief began in May with the help of Moulder and Associates, a firm headed by former Des Moines Police Chief William Moulder, a consulting firm specializing in law enforcement. The City plans to name a permanent Fire Chief within the next few weeks.

For more information about the search, please contact William Moulder of Moulder and Associates at [email protected] or (515) 371-1669.