Norwich — The city received 19 applications for the Norwich paid fire chief position by Friday’s deadline, including at least three from within Norwich, city officials said.

Details about the applications were not released Friday, but City Manager John Salomone and the city Human Resources Department said they received 19 applications, including at least three from within Norwich, about 10 from elsewhere in Connecticut, and the rest from outside the state. Applications were due by 4:30 p.m. Friday for the position advertised with a salary range of $113,000 to $122,283.

Former Fire Chief Kenneth Scandariato retired in early September after 13 years as chief of the Norwich Fire Department. Until a new chief is named, Salomone directed the four current battalion chiefs — Tracy Montoya, Keith Wucik, Scott Merchant and Greg Despathy — to rotate in two-week assignments as acting fire chief.

Salomone considered the interim assignments as potential tryout periods for the battalion chiefs if they were interested in the position.

Salomone said he was pleased with the response to the advertisement for the position, saying he had hoped for a “mixture of in-state and out-of-state and local” applicants, which is what the city received.

A review panel of fire professionals will be appointed to review the applications to ensure the candidates meet the qualifications. The panel could interview 10 or more candidates initially, then cull the list to three or four finalists, Salomone said. He hopes to make an offer and negotiate a contract with a finalist in November.

The paid fire department covers the urban center of the city with two fire stations, a main headquarters and a station in Greeneville. Five independent volunteer fire departments cover outlying portions of the city. The fire chief also serves as the citywide fire marshal and in January 2018, the duties of emergency management director were added to Scandariato’s duties. Salomone retained the combination of duties in the new advertisement.

“This is very responsible executive work involving the planning and direction of all fire suppression, fire prevention, and emergency management activities of the city,” the application form stated.

Candidates were required to have a bachelor’s degree in fire science, public administration, business administration or a related field, plus 10 years of “recent, full time, paid, progressively responsible supervisory experience in fire suppression and prevention for a comparable or larger size population, including at least one year at the rank of Chief, Deputy Fire Chief or Battalion Chief.”

The position has a residency requirement, with the new chief required to reside within Connecticut and within 60 miles of Norwich within one year of being appointed.

c.bessette@theday.com