Fire Chief Search Committee Announced

Paul Turner approved as County Fire Marshal; Strategic Plan to be completed in 2012

Orcas Island Fire District Commissioners recently announced the makeup of the Fire Chief Search Committee. The members are Barbara Bedell, Fire District Commissioner and Chair of the Search Committee,  Melissa Parnell, Art Lang, Rich Harvey, Dave  Zoeller and Lindsay Schirmer.

Bedell said at the Commissioners meeting last night that the “ SearchCommittee has been at work and already have been extraordinary.”

At the Nov. 22 meeting,  Bedell asked that James Wolf, a ember of the public who has “experience in the Human Resource field” be consulted to “develop a selection methodology to help evaluate the best candidate for the Fire Chief position.”

The Orcas Fire District published an advertisement for the Fire Chief position in “six or seven” publications on Dec. 6. The posting closes on Jan. 6, 2012. Current Fire Chief Mike Harris will retire on Dec. 31, 2011.

In other business, the Commissioners said the Strategic Plan 2012-2017  is still in process. Commissioner Jim Coffin, who heads the Finance Committee said it would have “something ready in early spring.”

Commissioner Bedell, who heads the Communications Committee reported, “I have nothing to say, I’m getting close to being done.”

Commissioners passed a resolution to “Host” the County Fire Marshal’s Office.  Chief Mike Harris said the resolution was “mostly for the state auditor, knowing under what authority we’re handling money. [The resolution] doesn’t occur in the original interlocal agreement, and it’s a good idea for us to put in writing why we’re doing this.”

Harris said that the Orcas Fire and Rescue District was hoping to collect funds from the Fire Marshal’s office on Jan. 1, 2012. The state requires each county to employ a Fire Marshal to reinforce fire and occupancy codes, for educational purposes and to investigate fires and explosions.

All local county fire districts have agreed to the interlocal agreement establishing the Orcas Island Fire District as the administrative branch of the county Fire Marshal’s office. San Juan County Council members still need to sign off on the agreement.

An additional resolution was approved to appoint Paul Turner as Fire Marshal in the office ” hosted by Orcas,  as set forth in res 2011-10.”