Oct. 28—A Lincoln Fire and Rescue battalion chief was chosen Wednesday to become the department's acting fire chief in December.
David Engler will take the helm from Micheal Despain, the former chief who retired then returned to lead the department on a contract basis while the city looked to resume a search for a permanent fire chief.
Despain has served as acting chief since May and recently told the mayor he wished to step down at the end of November, a news release said.
Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird had planned to hire a successor to Despain earlier this year, but the pandemic interrupted the search and recently the city paused the search again because it could not get all of the finalists for the position to participate in on-site interviews, according to the release.
Engler, who was promoted to battalion chief in 2018, was one of three finalists in the most recent search.
The 24-year firefighting veteran started at Lincoln Fire and Rescue as a firefighter-paramedic in 1996 and made fire captain in 2006. He holds a bachelor's degree in public administration from Doane University and a master's degree in negotiation and dispute resolution from Creighton University.
Gaylor Baird said in the release that she will reevaluate the need to continue the search next spring.
She values Engler's leadership and experience in the department, she said.
"I look forward to working with our new acting chief in the coming months and appreciate all that he and our LFR team do each day to protect our community," Gaylor Baird said.
Engler called the promotion a tremendous honor and said he's excited to lead the department and strengthen its relationships in the community while meeting the upcoming challenges.
___
(c)2020 Lincoln Journal Star, Neb.
Visit Lincoln Journal Star, Neb. at www.journalstar.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
