Meet Your New Fire Commissioners

— by Lin McNulty —

When the Board of Fire Commissioners met on Monday evening, the big item on the agenda was the appointment of two new Commissioners in light of the initiative recently passed by Orcas voters.

The three-member commission received resumes from five applicants. The Commissioners heard brief presentations from each before moving into Executive Session to make their picks.

Tim Fuller

Tim Fuller joins the Board after a career in the Saint Paul, Minnesota Fire Department, rising to the position of Fire Chief. In 2005, he also served as Fire Chief in Redmond, WA before taking on the responsibilities of Acting Police Chief, and then Director of Public Works in that city.

Tim currently serves on the OPAL Board. Tim and his wife Martha have been homeowners on Orcas since 2006.

Jim Helminski

Jim Helminski brings experience in organizational management with 27 years as a Special Agent in the U.S. Secret Service. He retired as a Deputy Assistant Director in the Senior Executive Service, the highest level of managerial achievement within the federal government.

One of the appointees will serve until a November election to fill the position, while the other is a two-year appointment.

The Board did not indicate which new Commissioner would fill which position, but rather left it to the new appointees to “draw straws” to see which one will stand for election in the Fall.