Process for hiring new chief takes first step

Preliminary work on hiring a new East Fork Fire Protection District chief started on Friday when the district board authorized the formation of an ad hoc committee to lay the groundwork.

Chief Tod Carlini indicated late last year that it was his intention to retire after almost a quarter century in charge of the district.

Board President William Bellona will lead the committee consisting of two board members and representatives from the collective bargaining units and the volunteer association.

“What this is not is a hiring committee, this ad hoc group will be disbanded before the hiring process starts,” Bellona told fellow board trustees. “This group is tasked with developing a road map to getting the best candidate. Its work should be completed by Nov. 1 and disbanded by the board by the Nov. 19 board meeting.”

He said he expected to have the committee put together by Monday so they could hit the ground running and have gone through contracts by the board’s Aug. 20 meeting.

“This is definitely getting the runway ready for a great takeoff and landing,” Bellona said. “I believe there will be more buy-in that way and we’ll get a better end product than if someone is just told they’re going to do it.”

Carlini is expected to provide a letter to the board at the September meeting detailing his final months on the job he’s held since June 15, 2000.

Trustees Bernie Curtis and Jacques Etchegoyhen participated in Carlini’s hiring as Douglas County commissioners.

“You appointed the chief probably before a lot of our employees were born,” said trustee Barbara Griffin, who was the elected clerk-treasurer when Carlini was selected.

Among the committee’s tasks will be to review and make suggestions about the job description, compensation package, contract terms, recruiting process and evaluation criteria.

Part of that process will be reaching out to retired fire chiefs and similar departments for contracts.

“We’re not throwing out what we have,” Bellona clarified. “We’re just going to revamp it so it fits the program.”

Among the questions the committee will weigh in on will be whether to contract with an outside company.

“If we make significant changes, I think they need to be bottom up and we need to do an anonymous survey including volunteers and staff members and even some community people who interact with the chief,” Bellona said.

East Fork Firefighters Protective Association President Kevin May said having a voice on the committee is important to his members.

“For us to have some buy in will be incredibly important,” he said. “The process will increase our participation because we have some skin in the game, the volunteer association, both of us have talked and we both generally greatly appreciate having a part of this.”

Volunteer Firefighter liaison Elaine Pace said her association also appreciated participating in the committee.

The fire district is an independent governmental entity with its own elected board and taxing authority.