San Marcos — After just four years at the helm of San Marcos Fire Rescue, Chief Mike Baker has accepted the job of Fire Chief in Copperas Cove.

Baker said he wasn’t interested in commenting after the news was released by the city of Copperas Cove late Thursday morning. However, he told the Copperas Cove Leader Press, for a story in the paper’s Friday edition, that the move will put him closer to his family members that are scattered between the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, New Braunfels and East Texas.

Copperas Cove is approximately 12 miles east of Killeen.

Baker signed on as San Marcos chief in 2004. It was during his tenure that city council approved plans for a new $5 million, 18,500 square foot fire station at River Ridge Park.

A native of Marshall, Baker served with that city’s fire department for 21 years, retiring as a Fire Lieutenant in 2001. Later that year he became Fire Chief in Brenham, a position he quit to assume the San Marcos job.

According to his profile on the city’s Web site, Baker’s other local accomplishments include being an “active member of the city’s Nuisance Abatement Task Force and the Safety Coach Team.” Baker has also served as co-chairman of the Texas Fire Chief’s Association Fire Fighter Line-of-Duty Death Fire Ground Operations Task Force, which investigates firefighter deaths around the state.

Baker holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from LeTourneau University and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Fire Protection Technology from Kilgore College.

Baker is also an annual Instructor at the Texas A&M; University Municipal Fire School, the Web site says.

Baker will take over in his new job on Oct. 6. Copperas Cove has been without a fire chief since the end of May.

Copperas Cove City Manager Andrea Gardner told the Leader Press that Baker’s “multiple years of experience” along with his “team attitude spirit” and “willingness to become involved in the community” made him stand out among candidates.

Gardner told the newspaper that residents can anticipate “a fire chief that is an active participant in the community with a strong desire to help others succeed through positive mentoring; however, without compromising the interest of the city.”

Details of Baker’s salary weren’t disclosed. The newspaper quoted Gardner as saying it would be “commensurate with the level of experience the city will receive.”

“We always wish the best for anyone who is seeking to further their career,” Mayor Susan Narvaiz said. “We will miss this chief but we wish him and his family all the best in his future endeavors.”