Hiring a new chief can be quite a challenge for any city, but in most cases, it shouldn’t be. More often than not, someone completely capable and well qualified to be the chief of the department is already there somewhere. The assistant chief, a deputy chief, someone! I do realize and appreciate there are sometimes completely valid reasons to hire from outside the department; however, for brevity, this article will not discuss that issue.

In general, I believe that needing to hire a chief from outside the department is a slap in the face to the people currently in the department who are capable and well qualified for the position, and it speaks volumes about the lack of mentoring taking place at the top positions.

If things are going well and the department is headed in the right direction, there must be someone who can or should be promoted. It's just that simple. The chief did not make the department all it is without the help and support of those under them.

On the other hand, if you’re the chief and there’s no one ready to step into your shoes at a moment’s notice, you haven’t been doing your job! As the chief, you should be mentoring several people to possibly take your job. We’ve touched on this from a different angle a few weeks ago (see "Questions for Chiefs," www.firerescue1.com/Columnists/Note-to-self/articles/242626), but the same rules apply: It is your responsibility as the chief to ensure the department is managed properly. Why haven’t you prepared your department to get along without you? It is part of your job to ensure the department carries on with business as usual or even with some improvement after you leave.

On a final note, if you feel you’ve prepared someone at your department to replace you, who else knows? Did you tell the city manager, council or mayor? Someone should know.