Groundwork set for new chief search

For the first time in nearly a quarter century, East Fork Fire Protection District will be searching for a new chief.

Covering the East Fork Township, which encompasses all of Douglas County outside of the Lake Tahoe Basin, the district provides critical fire and medical service to the vast majority of the county’s residents.

Hiring new leaders is one of the most difficult things any elected board does.

Board President John Bellona, himself a retired East Fork firefighter, outlined a procedure that may help smooth that process.

There are firefighters who began their career after Chief Tod Carlini took the district’s helm back in 2000, who’ve never known another chief.

Carlini is easily the district’s longest serving chief and has seen a lot of changes since he was promoted, including a change in who he works for.

District Trustee Bernie Curtis pointed out that he and Jacques Etchegoyhen participated in hiring Carlini on June 15, 2000, when they were both county commissioners.

Trustee Barbara Griffin was serving as the elected clerk-treasurer at the time, so that’s pretty much the hat trick.

Bellona, who will lead the committee conducting the legwork to find a new chief, is a retired East Fork firefighter with a long history in the district.

Carlini has participated in a lot of changes to the district, including consolidating it with the former paramedic district and helping shepherd creating the very board that will appoint his successor.

As a public official under the law, Carlini’s successor will have to be selected in an open meeting.

A Yerington native, Carlini also served as chief of the Yerington Fire Department before arriving at East Fork in 1997.

Trustees expect to hear about the chief’s plans for the rest of the year at their Aug. 20 regular meeting.