Former Memphis fire director Michael Putt one of four finalists for Collierville job

April 16--Former Memphis Fire Director Michael Putt is one of four finalists to become the next chief of Collierville Fire and Rescue. The other finalists are former Memphis deputy fire chief Mark Heath; Manuel Fonseca, an assistant fire chief in Nashville; and John Bailot, a former chief in suburban St. Louis, according to applications released by the town government.

Whoever becomes the fire chief will run an agency responsible for saving lives and whose operations accounted for nearly $7 million in spending in the most recent fiscal year.

"It's a very, very important job for us," Collierville Mayor Stan Joyner said.

Joyner said the initial pool of applicants for the chief's job was narrowed to four finalists with the help of the Municipal Technical Advisory Service, an organization affiliated with the University of Tennessee that provides specialized support to governments.

Each of the four candidates went through joint interviews with the mayor along with town administrator James Lewellen, town human resources director Jay Jeffries and Collierville Schools Superintendent John Aitken. The candidates will now meet with aldermen for one-on-one talks and also will go through reference checks and background screenings, the mayor said.

Aldermen will make their recommendations to Joyner, who said he'd nominate the consensus candidate for final approval by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, probably within a couple of weeks.

The fire chief position became vacant following the retirement of Jerry Crawford at the end of February. Longtime Collierville fire employee Buddy Billings is serving as interim chief.

Putt is probably the best known of the four finalists. A longtime employee of the Memphis Fire Department, Putt was appointed as fire director by then-Memphis Mayor A C Wharton in late 2014, then retired this January. His resume also lists experience teaching at the University of Memphis as well as responding to hurricanes and other disasters. Efforts to reach Putt were unsuccessful.

Heath was deputy chief in charge of logistics and emergency medical services at the Memphis Fire Department and, like Putt, retired in January. That month marked the arrival of new Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, but Heath says the new mayor didn't ask him to go.

"I had 30 years of service, had been contemplating a move in that direction, certainly open to the fact that with changes in administration sometimes they go in different directions," he said.

Heath's application includes recommendation letters from Germantown fire chief John Selberg and Millington fire chief Gary Graves. Heath said Collierville's growth makes it appealing.

"And the opportunity to go out there and be part of that in a leadership capacity," said Heath, 56.

He said if appointed, he'll work to open opportunities for personal development of the officers, look for ways to boost the area's fire insurance rating and to improve both fire and emergency medical services.

Another finalist is Fonseca, 53, currently assistant administration chief in charge of life safety education at the Nashville Fire Department. His resume lists an unusual credential for a firefighter: a doctorate in education. He said he's led large-scale fire prevention programs, including working with schools to teach young children behaviors such as not touching matches and lighters.

He said he's familiar with Collierville because his brother, Winston Fonseca, has lived there for years.

He said if he's appointed, he'll use his contacts with the National Fire Academy, a training organization, to help officers get the most out of their careers.

"I'm going to bring a lot of expertise in many, many fields," he said.

Fonseca said he'd share his knowledge with local officers and learn from them as well.

The fourth finalist is Bailot of Kirkwood, Missouri, former fire chief of the city of Ladue, Missouri, near St. Louis and now an instructor at St. Louis Community College-Forest Park. He declined to comment.

___

(c)2016 The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.)

Visit The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.) at www.commercialappeal.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.