Scottsburg Rural Fire District Director Position 2
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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Jake Merz
(N)
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
Scottsburg, OR
Your Experience/Qualifications
Firefighter EMT, current board member
I have served on the board of directors for the past year. I am also a volunteer firefighter and EMT.
Our top priorities should be increasing our water supply and delivery capabilities for large fires, recruiting more volunteers, and equipping our crew with the tools and training that they need to save lives and put out fires. We have only a few locations where we can draft water out of the river efficiently, and not enough people to do that effectively for a rapid attack on large fires. We need more water, and another water tender, but we also need equipment for our EMTs, and good training for volunteers. We have limited resources, and we need to be careful with how we spend our tax dollars. I want to help keep our focus on saving lives and putting out fires.
The board is responsible for selecting a fire chief, and for allocating the resources of the department to enable the chief to perform effectively. The board sets the objectives for the chief. The chief is in charge of the operations of the department, but must answer to the board. Board members should not try to run the day to day operations. We should listen to the chief and support the needs of the department, and the community, but not micromanage the person we appoint to run the department.
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