Rob Mathis accepts full-time Whittier fire chief job

Whittier has made Rob Mathis its permanent fire chief, eight days after he ran the response to the fire at the city's new cruise terminal as interim chief.

City Manager Jackie Wilde announced the hire to the City Council on Tuesday. Mathis has more than 40 years in fire and EMS work.

The Sept. 14 fire damaged the Chugach Glacier Gateway Cruise Terminal and a Phillips Cruises & Tours vessel tied up alongside it. Crews put 112,000 gallons of water on it over 15 and a half hours, with help from Anchorage and Girdwood firefighters and the Coast Guard. A cruise ship pulled away from the dock, and the tunnel into town closed while the response was underway. No one was hurt.

"During the Glacier Creek Terminal Fire, I watched our employees step outside their normal roles, work together, and simply do whatever was needed to be done at the time," Wilde said.

Rep. Ky Holland, who represents Whittier in the state House, offered to help the city work with public safety and other agencies. Mayor Victor Shen asked residents to consider volunteering with the fire department, which trains new members for free.