The City of Round Rock has narrowed the field to five candidates to replace Fire Chief Larry Hodge, who announced his retirement last August.

The five final candidates are:

• George Blackmore, Assistant Fire Chief, Austin Fire Department
• David Coatney, Assistant Fire Chief, San Antonio Fire Department
• Vance Riley, recently retired Fire Chief, Victoria Fire Department
• Steve Ross, Fire Chief, Amarillo Fire Department
• Stan Tinney, Assistant Fire Chief, Odessa Fire Department

The City received 64 applications. Two teams, including one made up of sworn Fire personnel, reviewed the applications and resumes and narrowed the pool to 12 applicants.

The 12 individuals were then asked to provide a written response to a questionnaire. The teams reviewed the applicants’ responses and narrowed the pool to five.

The candidates will be in Round Rock on March 7-8 for face-to-face interviews. City Manager Steve Norwood will make the final hiring decision.

Assistant Fire Chief/Fire Marshal Billy Wusterhausen will oversee daily operations of the department until the new Fire Chief is in place.