Vashon Island Fire & Rescue commissioners decided last week to extend their deadline to mid-October in their search for a new chief.

Bob Larsen, who is serving as the Interim Assistant Chief of Operations, will remain in his position while the search continues, Candy McCullough, the fire board chair, said last week.

Based on a recommendation from Prothman, the firm conducting the search, the board also raised the salary cap to $140,000 to be in line with other chief salaries in the region.

McCullough said that two dozen people applied for the job, and Marcus Kragness of Prothman interviewed 11 of them via Skype and recommended a smaller pool for the fire board to consider.

The board may ultimately select one of the applicants from this first round, but with the increase in salary, more people might be willing to apply, McCullough added.

Once the board has interviewed candidates later this fall, it will invite those they are interested in to meet with the members of the department and the public, which will likely occur in November, she added.

With the holidays coming soon after, she noted it is possible that a new chief might not be in place until January, though if the person is from King County or the island, the time line might be sooner than that.