Durham Fire Chief Daniel Curia will be introduced as Charleston’s new fire chief by Mayor John Tecklenburg at a 1:30 p.m. press conference on Friday.
Curia will take over for acting fire chief John Tippett, Jr. as leader of the Charleston Fire Department on July 30.
His salary will be $165,000, almost $9,000 more than Karen Brack made as fire chief before stepping down on April 2017. Tippett’s role as acting head earned him $128,749.99 per year, according to city officials.
The search for a new fire chief included over 100 applications, whittled down to four finalists in late January.
Curia has 28 years of fire experience, a master’s degree in leadership from Grand Canyon University, and a bachelor’s degree in public administration from Shaw University.
He began working at the Durham Fire Department in 1990, where took over as fire chief in February 2013, according to the city’s website.
Durham is home to Duke University and is the fourth-most populous city in North Carolina. Its population of 263,016 almost doubles that of Charleston, according to 2016 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Mayor Tecklenburg consulted with panelists, including members of the Public Safety Committee, city staff, and community leaders before making his final selection, according to the city.
Council will officially vote on Curia’s selection at its next meeting.
Love Best of Charleston? Help the Charleston City Paper keep Best of Charleston going every year with a donation. Or sign up to become a member of the Charleston City Paper club.