When a bridge packed with evening commuters collapsed into the Mississippi River last August, Minneapolis Fire Chief James S. Clack rushed to survey the scene.

But instead of getting mired in the chaos, Clack followed protocol and made his way back to an operations center to coordinate the rescue. That clearheaded decision may have saved lives, said those who know him.

"Jim is very calm in crisis and he knows how to manage his way through problems," said Rocco Forte, the city's director of emergency planning and a retired fire chief who groomed Clack in leadership positions for years. "I think he did an excellent job."

Clack, 47, named by Mayor Sheila Dixon to serve as Baltimore's next fire chief, is expected to bring that same cool-under-fire leadership to a department that has faced tragedy and scandal over the past several months.

Friends and colleagues described Clack as devout - he serves as a deacon at his Catholic church and has already toured the Baltimore Basilica - and praised him for his intelligence and planning acumen.

In an interview yesterday, Clack stressed that building relationships - with unions, with command staff, with other city agencies - was a key reason for his success in Minneapolis. He said it is an approach he intends to continue here.

"I do plan to show up at fires. I do plan to spend time in fire stations and with firefighters learning," said Clack, who is married and has three grown children. "This is a two-way learning process. I'll bring a lot of things to the table but these guys have a lot to teach me."

Clack was born in northern Minnesota but moved to a farm outside of Fresno, Calif., two weeks after his birth. His mother was a professional basketball player - she had to dye her black hair to play with her team, the Redheads - and his father sold heavy construction equipment.

Clack - who played basketball in high school and college and stands 6 feet 6 inches tall - was working as a civilian in an Army Reserve unit when, while waiting for his wife at a health club, he noticed a postcard advertising open Minneapolis firefighter positions. He mailed in the card and the department picked the first 800 out of 3,000 applicants to take a firefighters test.

For Clack, the 1986 class was a defining period not just for him, but also for the department. It was the first class that allowed women into the department, and Clack said he watched them endure discrimination and jokes.

After serving in virtually every corner of his department, Clack took over as acting chief in 2006, and formally took the position in February 2007. He inherited a department torn by scandal after the previous chief was accused of improper behavior and subordinates filed lawsuits against the city.

"We had quite an issue with having to remove a fire chief," said Minneapolis City Council President Barbara Johnson. "He stepped in as interim [chief] while we were going through a legal battle and really got the morale back up. He just took us through a really tough time."

Clack also has a reputation for working well with labor unions - a skill that may prove particularly important in Baltimore.

Tom Thornberg, president of Minneapolis Firefighters Local 82, said the department faced budgetary constraints that limited staffing, and that Clack worked hard to get more funding. He also credited Clack with pushing through a firefighter "health and wellness" program that cost more money but improved safety and reduced sick time.

Clack said his decision to leave Minneapolis was difficult but that he has been to Baltimore often. His wife, a cardiac scientist, has worked here in the past.

Though the bridge collapse brought international attention to his rescue efforts, Clack said the most difficult situation he faced during his tenure was when he traveled with an emergency crew to Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina.

"Scope-wise, that was the biggest deal I've ever been involved with," he said.

Forte, Clack's former boss, said the chief was "always more intelligent than the average firefighter" but constantly looked for ways to educate himself.

He also said Clack is one of the best card players he's ever known. Clack, Forte joked, has a "good poker face."

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john.fritze@baltsun.com

Sun reporter Annie Linskey contributed to this article.