Retired Las Vegas fire chief takes job in Oregon

Retired Las Vegas Fire Chief Mike Myers has been selected as the new fire chief for Portland, Oregon.

Myers, 49, started his career as a firefighter in Las Vegas in 1986 when he was 19.

He became the Las Vegas assistant fire chief in 2002, deputy chief in 2007 and fire chief in 2011. During his time as the Las Vegas fire chief, the position paid about $207,000 annually, according to Transparent Nevada. He retired from the city in 2013 after more than 26 years of service.

Myers recalled learning the strengths of performance-based management while in Las Vegas. He used scorecards to track response times and how often fires were containted to their rooms of origin, among other performance measures.

During his retirement, Myers realized that he had more to contribute and learn so he took a job as fire chief in St. Charles, Missouri, where he has served for the last 15 months.

“I have enjoyed the entire journey from firefighter to my time here in Missouri,” Myers said, describing his transition to a new department as exciting.

Myers was selected as the new Portland fire chief from among 31 applicants, Portland City Commissioner Dan Saltzman said.

“He did a very good job in his career in Las Vegas and has a lot of strength in emergency medical services,” Saltzman said, adding that Myers has the makings of a good leader and will bring a spirit of innovation with him.

Myers will oversee a department of about 700 firefighters and 30 fire stations — a force slightly larger than the one he commanded in Las Vegas.

His first day is June 30.

Review-Journal writer Lawren Linehan contributed to this report. Contact Jessica Terrones at jterrones@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Find @JessATerrones on Twitter.