On May 1, Lt. Cary Niewold will become the assistant fire chief of the Sycamore Fire Department, a new position approved by the city council Monday night.

Niewold, a 28-year veteran of the department, applied for the assistant fire chief position and competed against lieutenants Mark Kessler and Tal Hickey. A panel interviewed each candidate March 22.

“It’s hard to make a call like this when you know someone will be disappointed,” Sycamore City Manager Bill Nicklas said.

As someone who has a close working relationship with each of the candidates, Sycamore Fire Chief Bill Riddle said it was difficult to choose who will be best for the position.

Niewold said he ran for the position because he thought he could help the department.

“Right now, we’re undergoing big changes, and the chief has a full plate,” he said.

The department will work to expand to a five-man shift and add a second station, Niewold said.

Education, experience, the ability to work with other departments, the ability to take command at the scene of an emergency and the ability to act in the chief’s absence were some of the requirements for choosing the assistant fire chief, Nicklas said.

Organizational qualifications and length of service also were considered, Riddle said.

Riddle said the position was necessary, but funding was unavailable until now.

The assistant fire chief position is common among other departments, Riddle said. Niewold likely will receive $72,500 a year, Riddle said. The management pay ordinance is set for April 19, in which the exact pay increase will be determined, he said.

Senior reporter Libby John contributed to this article.