Deputy chief search takes six-month break

The search for a new East Fork deputy chief of operations will take a six-month breather after the district decided not to pick one of the three candidates who underwent interviews.

District Chief Tod Carlini said the retirement of East Fork Fire Protection District Chief of Operations Jeff Veliquette after a year prompted the district to seek the position.

“Deputy Chief Veliquette left to attend to some very personal family matters,” Carlini said on Monday. “He was amazing at this job. We are all sad to lose him.”

Carlini said an effort to replace Veliquette failed to produce an appropriate candidate.

“The pool of applicants was well below the number that the district received in the prior recruitment that yielded Mr. Veliquette’s employment,” Carlini said. “Following a three-day assessment center-based evaluation process, which involved over 40 individuals, employees, volunteers, community groups, peer professionals and internal and external customer representatives, not to mention extensive interviews with the district fire chief the administration has opted not to fill the position.”

The East Fork Fire Protection District Association, which represents the district’s firefighters, supported Carlini’s decision not to pick one of the three final candidates.

Association Vice President Kevin May wrote that the issue with the candidates was whether they would fit in with the district.

“Many were qualified to do the job on paper, but the assessment of the three candidates was that none of them was the right fit for our organizations,” May said. “Not to pick one of the candidates was the best thing (the chief) could have done for the future of the organization.”

At their Tuesday meeting, the district board approved an $85,000 contract with SMG Fire Consulting Group of Carson City to serve as deputy chief of operations over the next six months to replace Veliquette.

“The contract position is going to give us some time to take a look at a few things,” Carlini said. “The position is critical and oversees our biggest function, that being a high-volume advanced life support transport emergency medical service 87 percent of the time and oversees the management of the largest number of personnel,” Carlini said. “We have to find the right person and I am confident with some more time, we will. Our three battalion chief’s all do an exceptional job on the fire piece of the mission. So, we can take a step back hopefully and work towards a replacement in the Spring.”

Retired Truckee Meadows Fire Protection Deputy Chief of Operations Scott Gorgon, who is buying a home in Minden, would serve in the role.