In the middle of a long day, Mike Hammon received some good news and a shorter title.

Hammon was officially appointed Auburn Fire Chief Tuesday, no longer carrying the interim title.

City Manager Mark Palesh also told Hammon on the same day he announced the closure of one of the city's three fire stations.

Palesh appointed him as the interim chief in May, and Hammon had to score among the top three on the Civil Service examination to be eligible to have the permanent title. The Auburn Civil Service Commission announced last week that Hammon earned the second-highest score.

But Palesh said leadership is the main reason to offer the job to Hammon, a former Auburn firefighter and former Batavia Fire Department captain.

“It was an easy decision to promote him full time,” Palesh said Wednesday. “I think he is the right man at the right time to move a very good fire department into the next century, while trying to make it as cost effective as possible.”

Palesh faced some resistance last year when he chose Hammon to head the department. Firefighter union representatives and civil service both called for a promotion from within the department.

But Palesh said he recognized early on that he liked Hammon's management style.

“I realized he was the right person, knowing the tough road I would have to hoe regarding the fire department,” Palesh said.

The road has toughened recently. Because of a missed deadline, the firefighters union can choose whether or not to re-negotiate its contract or let it renew another year. The city must also conform to a temporary court order banning the use of two new recruits as line firefighters.

But Hammon said he is “excited” to face these challenges as the permanent chief.

“I see huge opportunities for the growth and modernization of this fire department,” Hammon said.

Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net