Minneapolis Chief Tapped for Baltimore

BALTIMORE, Md. -- The man who oversaw the operation following the collapse of an interstate bridge in Minneapolis will be the next fire chief here.

Sources say Chief Jim Clack will be formally introduced this afternoon by Mayor Shelia Dixon.

Clack, 48, announced his new position Tuesday.

After the bridge collapse last year, he said he was never more proud to see how civilians, police and rescue workers pulled together to help.

"I saw people being carried up from the river in the back of pickup trucks. People were improvising. It was incredible."

Clack, a 33-year veteran of the Minneapolis department, has been at the helm for 14 months.

He replaces William J. Goodwin Jr., who resigned last November following months of criticism after the death of a recruit.

Goodwin, who served as chief since 2002, received "no confidence" votes from his firefighters but stuck it out for months before stepping down.

Several officers in the training division were terminated following the recruit's death.