Interviews Underway for New Fire Chief on Hawaii Island

HONOLULU (Hawaii News Now) – Hawaii Island is in the process of selecting a new fire chief, as the County Fire Commission has commenced interviews with six shortlisted candidates. This initiation comes after a postponement attributed to Tropical Storm Nolo last month.

Among the finalists, four have connections to the Hawaii Fire Department: Stacy Domingo, Garrett Kim, Melanie Keolanui, and Daniel Volpe. The remaining candidates, Michael Fine and Cole Thompson, hail from California. Thompson, a former battalion chief, noted the benefits of an external viewpoint in addressing operational efficiency. Domingo, who has been with the department for over 20 years, expressed her longstanding ambition to rise to the chief position. Other candidates shared their insights on prioritizing personnel, addressing budget constraints, and enhancing communication within the department. The commission plans to reduce the finalists to three before announcing the new chief.