West Side Rural Fire Protection District Director 2-Year Term Choose 1
Special districts in Oregon are formed to provide specific local government needs. They are created by a vote of the people in the local area being served. Examples include people’s utility districts, library districts, water districts, fire protection districts, and more. They are governed by a board of directors, which is responsible for management and financial accountability. Special districts are empowered to levy any necessary taxes and fees to fulfill their mandate. Board members are not paid but may receive a per diem reimbursement.The 267 fire protection districts in Oregon can have different structures and mandates, but all are responsible for funding and staffing fire prevention and safety services, and for managing the budgets of local fire stations.Qualifications: Candidate must be a registered voter or a landowner in the district. If the district has a supporting ordinance, employees of the district are not eligible. ORS 478.050Term: 2 years
Biographical Information
Town Where You Live
Hood River, OR
Your Experience/Qualifications
16 years as a member of the Board for West Side Rural Fire Protection District; 37 years as a volunteer firefighter (still active); personally managed budgets larger than Fire district’s annual budget as a Research Fishery Biologist with USGS
County
Hood River
What skills and experience, including prior board experience, do you bring to the position?
16 years as a director for West Side gives me experience in fire service planning and budgeting; 37 years and going as a volunteer firefighter for the district gives me knowledge of fire department operations; 30 years Research Fishery Biologist experience (now retired) gives me quantitative skills.
What do you see as the top priorities for the District, and how would you achieve them?
High-quality fire and emergency medical service to the district - achieved through efficient use of paid and volunteer staff, such as expanding paid staff to 24-7 scheduling, while continuing to rely on volunteers.
How do you understand the board’s role in relation to that of the fire chief?
Fire chiefs typically run the long range and day-to-day planning and oversight for a fire department. West Side has a volunteer chief and a paid Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). They work together to provide oversight and the CAO provides most day-to-day administrative functions and budgeting.