After Cincinnati's fire chief was fired for a hostile environment, only one woman applied
After allegations of a hostile work environment in the Cincinnati Fire Department led to the last chief's firing, 38 people applied to replace him − only one of them a woman.
Of the 38, four are Cincinnati fire employees. Two of them are current assistant chiefs.
Many of the candidates have more than 20 years of experience. Some are fire chiefs and assistant fire chiefs elsewhere. One is working in South Asia, another in Europe.
The city is in the midst of searching for a fire chief after City Manager Sheryl Long fired Chief Michael Washington in March, alleging he created a hostile work environment for female firefighters and then failed to respond to orders that the culture be fixed.
Washington, after serving 28 years in the department, was chief from May 2021 to March of this year when he was fired from his $170,000-a-year job.
Washington denied the charges and has filed a federal lawsuit claiming he was fired without due cause and due process, a violation of the city's charter. Washington had no warnings or reprimands in his personnel file prior to being fired, The Enquirer found.
Assistant Fire Chief Steven Breitfelder has been interim chief as the city conducts a national search for a new chief.
City spokeswoman Mollie Lair did not have a timeframe for when the chief would be hired. She said only that the interview process is "on-going."
There's a lot at stake when it comes to choosing the next fire chief. Long has said there remain issues of unfairness toward women in the department. She has said a full assessment will be done once a new chief is hired.
The job posting closed July 6. The Enquirer requested the list of applicants on July 21. When the city did not immediately produce the list of applicants, Enquirer attorney Jack Greiner followed up, prompting the applicant list and applicants' resumes to be released Monday.
Meet the candidates:
Bryan Batiste
Most recent job: Compton, California, fire chief from 2012 to 2017; 40 years fire/EMS experience.
William T. Bernard
Most recent job: Omaha, Nebraska, Fire Department acting assistant chief C-shift and EMS Division from March 2023 to July 1; 32 years fire/EMS experience.
Steven Breitfelder
Most recent job: Assistant Cincinnati fire chief since 2017; 32-year veteran of the department. Is the interim fire chief during the search.
Hal Bumgarner
Most recent job: Coweta, Oklahoma, Fire/EMS chief since 2012 and chief of EMS with Pottawatomie County, Kansas, since 2017; 32 years fire/EMS department experience.
Jeffrey J. Capano
Most recent job: Mariemont Fire and EMS member since 2014 and owner of Capano & Associates from 1999 to the present; 30 years fire/EMS experience.
Geoffrey Cleveland
Most recent job: Cleveland's Fire Department personnel administrator since March 2021; 16 years fire/EMS experience.
Kevan Crawley
Most recent job: Indianapolis Fire Department deputy chief since March 2020; 36 years fire/EMS experience.
Tony Cummings
Most recent job: Peoria Fire Department assistant chief since February 2023; 23 years fire/EMS experience.
Francis X. DiPaula Jr.
Most recent job: Baltimore County Fire Department deputy chief since 2015; 34 years fire/EMS experience.
Matthew Flagler
Most recent job: Assistant Cincinnati fire chief over emergency management since February 2023; 35 years fire/EMS experience.
James E. Garrett Jr.
Most recent job: Retired Kansas City Fire Department deputy director, chief consultant of his own fire consulting company; 29 years of fire/EMS experience.
Jimmie D. Gittens Jr.
Most recent job: Atlanta deputy chief of emergency medical services from September 2019 to 2022; 32 years of fire/EMS experience.
Andy Glassmeyer
Most recent job: Rural Metro Lewiston, Idaho, Fire Chief since June 2023 and a fire officer at Amentum-McMurdo Station Antarctica since January 2023; 20 years of fire/EMS experience.
George Green
Most recent job: Project manager for Sutphen Corp., a fire equipment sales company, from January 2022 to May 2023; 31 years fire/EMS experience.
Atif Hameed
Most recent job: Lead firefighter for the Punjab Emergency Services Rescue 1122 with the government of Pakistan; 14 years public service experience.
David P. Heavener
Most recent job: Livonia, Michigan, Fire Chief from March 2018 to 2022; 17 years fire/EMS experience.
Timothy C. Heiser
Most recent job: Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Department assistant fire chief since 2018; 28 years fire/EMS experience.
Robert P. Hess
Most recent job: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers chief emergency manager since March 2021; 30 years fire/EMS experience.
Jonathan Peter Ingols
Most recent job: Arlington, Texas, Fire Department assistant chief of operations since May 2020; 23 years fire/EMS experience.
Sydney R. Johnson
Most recent job: Jackson, Mississippi, Fire Department assistant fire chief from January 2010 to June 2014; 25 years fire/EMS experience.
Allen Grant Lewis
Most recent job: Business development and emergency manager in a security-sensitive role in Europe; 27 years fire/EMS experience.
Greg Lindsay
Most recent job: Oklahoma City Fire Department battalion chief since 2002; 39 years fire/EMS experience.
Timothy L. McCawley
Most recent job: Bennett-Watkins, Colorado, Fire Rescue assistant chief and training officer since 2016; 23 years fire/EMS experience.
Frank C. McKinley
Most recent job: Dallas Fire-Rescue Department assistant chief of communications and administration; 28 years fire/EMS experience.
Anthony E. Missig
Most recent job: Federal Emergency Management Agency emergency management specialist since June 2020; 36 years fire/EMS experience.
Terence Morris
Most recent job: Kenner, Lousiana, Fire Department chief since December 2018; 36 years fire/EMS experience.
Vera R. Morrison
Most recent job: Decatur, Georgia, Fire Rescue deputy chief since 2017; 17 years fire/EMS experience.
John Wayne Oceguera
Most recent job: Senior vice president of Strategies 360, a government consulting firm, since March 2014; 22 years fire/EMS experience.
Donald Parker
Most recent job: Nevada National Security Site deputy fire chief of operations since 2017; 41 years fire/EMS experience.
Christopher P. Riley
Most recent job: Consultant for Next Paradigm Consulting from September 2017 to March 2018; 40 years fire/EMS experience.
Janos Roper
Most recent job: Cincinnati Fire Department captain; 23 years fire/EMS experience.
Mark J. Sanders
Most recent job: Assistant Cincinnati fire chief since September 2021; Over 30 years fire/EMS experience.
Brian P. Schaeffer
Most recent job: Spokane, Washington, fire chief since 2005; 30 years fire/EMS experience.
Justin Mitchell Sherwood
Most recent job: Bemidji, Minnesota, fire chief since 2021; 19 years fire/EMS experience.
Thomas E. Solberg
Most recent job: Casper, Wyoming, fire chief from 2018 to 2022; 45 years fire/EMS experience.
Caroll H. Spriggs II
Most recent job: Annapolis, Maryland, Fire Department deputy chief since September 2019 and bomb squad commander since 2006; 27 years fire/EMS experience.
Jeffrey Tomberlin
Most recent job: Houston Police Department Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting captain since June 2015; 23 years fire/EMS experience.
Miguel Torres
Most recent job: El Paso Fire Department battalion chief since May 2020; 28 years fire/EMS experience.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati search for fire chief garners 38 applicants
