City narrows interim fire chief field to 1

The city of Costa Mesa is in the final stages of choosing an interim fire chief to fill the shoes of Chief Jim Ellis, who has been out on medical leave since the end of June, officials said Tuesday.

The city has been searching for about three weeks, said Administrative Services Director Steve Mandoki.

Ellis, 53, sent an e-mail to the Fire Department on June 19 stating that his family doctor had taken him off the job. Over the telephone from his home Tuesday, Ellis said it depends on his doctor’s orders when — and if — he comes back to the job.

“I’m doing fine but that will up to my doctor,” Ellis said.

In Ellis’ absence, department battalion chiefs have been rotating the administrative duties, but there’s enough work to warrant hiring an interim chief in the meantime, Mandoki said.

“It’s just a matter of the workload,” Mandoki said.

Hiring an interim chief will also help restore routine to the department, Mandoki said, adding the decision to hire an interim chief was up to City Manager Allan Roeder, who could not be reached Tuesday.

After three weeks of searching, city officials have narrowed the field to one candidate and hope to announce their pick within a week, Mandoki said. Most of the candidates were from Los Angeles and Orange counties.

Costa Mesa Fire Assn. President Jeff Janzen said daily operations are covered, but the department hasn’t been able to move forward with any major decisions without a chief.

“Once we have this interim chief in place ? a lot of things will be rectified that we were dealing with before,” Janzen said.

City officials have not told the Fire Department the leading candidate’s name, he said.