Payeur likely new Allouez fire chief His background and test results made him the prime candidate, according to a consultant to the fire commission By Christopher Clough News-Chronicle Assuming all goes according to plan, Fire Marshal James Payeur of the Ann Arbor, Mich., suburb of Pittsfield, will become the new Allouez Fire Chief. The Allouez Fire Commission chose Payeur during a closed session in its Thursday meeting. It will recommend Payeur as its top candidate to the village board, which actually is in charge of the hiring and would make a job offer to Payeur. The selection of Payeur over two other final candidates, Victor Esch of Gaithersburg, Md., and Robert Avsec of Chester, Va., is dependent on a final background check and Payeur's acceptance of the job offer, said interim fire chief Jeff Roemer. Roemer also consulted with the village on the selection as president of RW Management. When asked what led to the choice, Roemer said, "Just all the testing we did. (Payeur) came out on top of all the testing. And the department is a similar size to where he comes from. He's from the Midwest, very personable and has great credentials." Roemer is conducting final background checks next week. If Payeur passes and accepts the job, he will begin working under Roemer's guidance on March 3 and take over by May 31, when Roemer's contract expires.