SIDNEY — The Civil Service Commission certified Sidney firefighters’s scores and ranking Thursday afternoon for the soon to be vacant fire lieutenant position at the Sidney Fire Department.

The Sidney Department of Fire and Emergency Services is in the process of making several position changes due the recent retirement of Deputy Fire Chief Cameron Haller, the sudden passing of Lt. Tony McLain last November, and two other predicted retirements over the next year.

Commission members, including Commission Chair Karl Bemus, Joyce Goubeaux and John Schmidt, and Sidney Fire Chief Brad Jones and Human Resources Manager Vickie Allen, immediately went into an executive session after approving the January meeting’s minutes. Upon emerging from the session, the commission certified the scores and ranking of the seven firefighters who tested.

In order to allow time for the firefighters to be notified and receive their results from the city of Sidney, there will be a follow up story with the name of the newly promoted fire lieutenant in Saturday’s paper.

In other business, Allen told commission members at the next meeting on April 22, the commission will certify the Civil Service scores for the vacant Sidney police officer position. Then in May, Allen said, there will be another meeting to certify the test results for the assistant fire chief and deputy fire chief position.

After internal promotions are awarded, there will be two immediate vacancies among the three fire crews that work every third day. All three assistant chiefs are eligible to apply for the deputy fire position, which will leave a vacant assist chief position. All five of the lieutenants are eligible to apply for the then empty assistant chief position. Thirteen of the remaining firefighters are eligable to apply for the vacant lieutenant position. These promotions will leave two firefighter vacancies that need to be filled. Then later in the year, after two others retire, two more firefighters will need to be added.