Randy Talifarro thought his career with the fire department would end in Flint.

But when the East Lansing City Council announced they had chosen Talifarro as their top choice for the position of East Lansing Fire Chief, he couldn’t decline.

“I was not real aggressive in seeking to leave Flint,” Talifarro said. “Actually, East Lansing was one of the few places I would have looked at. I just love the area and I think the fire department there has a lot to offer.”

Talifarro, 40, brings with him 17 years of experience with the Flint Fire Department, and training from the National Fire Academy and the University of Michigan. He also has been involved with community service, serving as the president of the Flint Community School Board since 1998.

Despite the apprehension of moving to a new community, Talifarro said his family is excited to make a long-term commitment to the city.

“I would like to make that my home and for my family to make it theirs, and to retire there,” Talifarro said.

Talifarro will be paid $79,000 a year to manage East Lansing’s 52-member department. As the assistant fire chief in Flint, Talifarro helped to manage 225 employees and seven fire stations.

Talifarro says he doesn’t have any big changes in mind for the city’s fire department.

“Really, I’m just looking right now,” Talifarro said. “I didn’t come with a specific agenda. I really do need to get in and see what some of the issues are and develop a plan from there.

“I think that the department is progressive. They have some of the challenges, the big city challenges, like the student population. At the same time, you offer some of the pleasantries of a smaller community.”

Flint Fire Chief Theron Wiggins said he will miss Talifarro’s experience, drive and negotiating skills. Talifarro had been instrumental in the development of operating procedures and bridging gaps between different areas of the department.

“He never sleeps,” Wiggins said. “He’s always on the go. You don’t see it very often when young men come into an organization such as the fire department and never stop until they get to the top. He is a chief coming up through the ranks.”

Former East Lansing Fire Chief Phillip Vorlander said the department needs a chief who will be able to maximize the talents of the staff.

“I think an ability to listen and certainly to work in a community as diverse as a university community is necessary,” Vorlander said. “The style of government is a collaborative effort, which I enjoyed.”

Vorlander retired after three years with the department in July to return to his home town of Madison, Wis. The city searched for six months for a new chief, pooling together 50 candidates and interviewing seven. Interim Fire Chief Steven Hildenberg has been leading the department since Vorlander’s retirement.

Fire Marshal Bob Pratt said although Hildenberg did a great job, the department will be happy to have a permanent chief.

“The biggest thing that the fire department needs is leadership,” Pratt said. “We had good leadership from our interim chief who’s ready to retire, but there are certain things that he would be reluctant to do, like any major policy changes or personnel changes.

“The fact that he came up through the ranks in Flint is an important piece of the puzzle. We’re really excited about new leadership, and particularly the new management style that he promises to bring.”