Brunswick Hills gives update on search for new fire chief

BRUNSWICK HILLS TWP. — The Brunswick Hills Township Board of Trustees is weighing its options for which process it will use to select a new fire chief for the township. Trustee Tony Destro provided an update on the township's search during Tuesday's trustee meeting. Destro said he spoke with a company called Personnel Selection Services, which provides a similar service to the Ohio Fire Chiefs' Association. The company offers customized assessments based on the township's criteria, such as policies and procedures, he said. It also offers an oral interview exam where three chiefs from around the region will come up with their own questions for interviewees. "They use chiefs from around (here), but not so close," Destro said. "One of the reasons not to use chiefs that are close, which was a good point, would be that there may be some conflict if they don't rate somebody well. Then, there might be some conflict in their relationship afterward." There is also a customizable written and oral exam, he said. "It's just another process where they give them a situation, a scenario, and maybe they give them an hour to come up with a plan," Destro said. "Then they present the plan, so if there was an emergency, they go through it." The total cost for the whole process with Personnel Selection Services would be between $8,000 and $9,000, he said. "The other option would be the local chiefs that would not cost anything," Destro said. "The $8,000 or $9,000, I think, is worth the investment. They'll be able to examine a little better than we would, I think. There's some situations we wouldn't be able to think of. That's kind of what I would recommend doing." Destro also looked into another company that mostly provides online services. "Just my opinion, you can tell a lot about an applicant's character by sitting them down face to face," trustee Ryan Nixon said. "Online, I don't know if I'd be for that or not." Nixon asked Destro to follow up with local chiefs to collect their thoughts and check their availability, so the township can have a second option. The trustees did not make an official decision yet regarding the hiring process. Former Fire Chief Anthony Strazzo resigned from his position at the end of January after more than a decade of service to the township. Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.