Currently Renton’s Deputy Fire Chief of Safety and Support Services, Bob Van Horne, 57, said he initially wasn’t interested in the chief’s position here in Bothell.

He said his first reaction upon hearing about the open spot was that he was happy where he was, in a department he has served for 28 years.

Van Horne said following some further consideration and a conversation with his wife, he began to think maybe he should apply for the slot after all. He’d never applied for a chief’s position previously and said he never would have applied here except for what he sees as the quality of the city and its fire department.

“I believe Bothell is a good community,” Van Horne said. “I didn’t want to be fire chief at all costs.”

Despite any initial hesitance on his part, Bothell officials tabbed Van Horne as the city’s next fire chief on Sept. 8. His first day on the job is slated to be Sept. 21.

“On behalf of the city, I welcome Chief Van Horne to Bothell,” said City Manager Bob Stowe. “Public safety is one of the highest priorities as a city service and I look forward to having Chief Van Horne lead emergency services in our community.”

“I’m very honored that I was selected,” Van Horne said. “I’m in a very nurturing community and I’m going to another nurturing community.”

Deputy City Manager Steve Anderson said Van Horne’s leadership style, his ability to communicate and his extensive experience set him above the other candidates for the job.

As his title with the Renton department implies, Van Horne essentially said he currently works somewhat behind the scenes.

“We serve those who serve the community,” he said.

Still, Van Horne added he has had the opportunity to work virtually every day job available in the Renton department. He said he spent roughly 23 of his 28 years in Renton directly responding to emergencies. One such emergency was a large fuel leak that struck the Olympic Pipeline near Renton in 2004.

According to Van Horne, Renton policy states the first one on the scene is the guy in charge. That’s how he ended up in command on that Sunday morning. He said it took safety forces three or four hours to bring the situation under control. Luckily, he added, the leak didn’t balloon into a situation such as Olympic reportedly had faced previously, which included a massive fire and several deaths.

His involvement with the Renton Olympic incident was one reason cited by the city in selecting Van Horne. In a press release, the city also mentioned Van Horne’s ability to progressively move up the departmental ladder in Renton. Starting as a firefighter, he has been a lieutenant, station and training captain, a battalion chief, along with his current spot as deputy chief.

In Bothell, Van Horne was selected following individual and panel interviews with Stowe, Anderson, other city directors and fire and EMS personnel.

To find a permanent replacement for former Chief Warren Burns, the city hired a Bellevue search firm, Prothman Company. The company sent out 600 letters to potential candidates in 11 western states and ran ads in 15 trade journals, according to firm president Greg Prothman.

All in all, the city collected an initial pool of 37 candidates. The list was whittled down to six finalists, all of whom visited the city and went through a final round of interviews. Van Horne takes over a department consisting of 54 uniformed officers and nine civilian employees. The chief’s pay range is $111,192 to $141,048.

Burns resigned in March for reasons that were never made public. Regarding Burns’ departure, the city released a one-paragraph statement, mostly spelling out the size of the department. The release did state Burns “separated from the city as an employee in good standing.”

Neither Bothell nor departmental officials would confirm or deny reports that city officials were investigating Burns for unspecified reasons.

Burns reportedly was on administrative leave — again, for reasons not made public — for about a month prior to his resignation. He had been Bothell’s fire chief since 2006.

The department is currently under the leadership of Interim Fire Chief Rudy Alvarado, a deputy chief under Burns. Alvarado did not want to be considered for the chief’s position on a permanent basis and plans to retire when Van Horne takes over later this month.