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Jackson County Fire District 3 Director Position 4

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: 4 years

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    Steve Shafer
    (N)

Biographical Information

What skills and experience, including prior board experience, do you bring to the position?

What do you see as the top priorities for the District, and how would you achieve them?

How do you understand the board’s role in relation to that of the fire chief?

Town Where You Live Eagle Point
Your Experience/Qualifications 34 years working as a Medford Firefighter, 8 years on Jackson County Fire District 3 board
County Jackson
Term 4 yrs
Term Expires 2029
Retired Firefighter and 8 years of experience on JCFD #3 board.
Effectively serving the needs of the district through a wide variety of programs and, if necessary, innovative solutions to new problems while being fiscally conservative. We have a wide outreach beyond just emergency response to serve the communities of Central Point, White City, Eagle Point, and Gold Hill. The district is also active with departments in Rogue River, Shady Cove, Phoenix, and Talent as well as normal mutual aid. The district is very active on county and state levels with planning and preparing for ongoing challenges. I freely acknowledge that this is not accomplished by the board but through the leadership and skills of our fire chief, his executive staff, and the office and line personnel. I just support them.
The board's function is to oversee the fire chief and facilitate his success. It is the fire chief's job to manage the department effectively. It is important to not overstep our roles.