Starkville aldermen continued the tradition of promoting from within for leadership positions and hired Charles Yarbrough to lead the city’s fire department.
Yarbrough’s promotion Monday was approved with a 4-3 vote — Vice Mayor Roy A. Perkins, Ward 3 Alderman David Little and Ward 5 Alderman Scott Maynard opposed — and his salary was set at $65,276 annually.
The former Starkville Fire Department training officer assumed the position immediately and said the city will soon begin searching for a replacement for his old position.
“I’ve been working toward this for the last 20 years. (My goal is to) move our department forward,” he said. “We have one of the best departments in the state already, and we’re going to do our best to make it one of the best in the nation.”
Yarbrough, 43, beat out four others, including two fellow SFD employees and two external candidates, for the job.
While pledging more community involvement from the fire department, he set a high goal for the city: moving to a Class 3 fire rating.
Starkville earned its current Class 4 rating from the Miss. Ratings Bureau in 2012 after moving to a Class 5 status in 1985. A future ratings improvement will curb insurance rates for home and business owners.
But jumping to a new tier will not be easy. The city must pass a number of infrastructure, response and fire safety control tests and improve staffing numbers at Fire Station No. 5.
Opened in 2012, the city’s newest fire house only operates once every three days with a full staff.
Yarbrough estimated that the city, if leaders are willing to roll up their sleeves and address a number of issues, could reach a Class 3 designation within a year.
“That means there are two days that we have residents who are not covered. That’s my No. 1 priority, and we have to make sure it’s taken care of,” he said. “I want to start the process (of working toward an improved fire rating) next month. I want to get it taken care of as soon as possible, because we can save our residents on their insurance. I think we have a board that will work toward it.”
The search for Starkville’s next fire chief began after Rodger Mann concluded a 33-year career with the city last month. Fire Marshal Mark McCurdy served as the department’s interim chief from then until Monday.
Yarbrough’s hire marks the fifth time this term aldermen have promoted from to fill leadership positions: Taylor Adams was moved from city clerk to chief administrative officer/finance director; Lesa Hardin, a former deputy clerk, assumed Adams’ former role; then-Capt. Frank Nichols was tapped as the city’s first African-American police chief; and Buddy Sanders, who was previously hired as city planner, was promoted to community development director.
Aldermen and Mayor Parker Wiseman applauded Yarbrough’s service to the city and the strength of the entire applicant pool.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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