In a special board meeting on Monday, August 30, 2021, the Board of Nederland Fire discussed some pressing operational issues that had arisen while the department had no appointed Chief or interim Chief.

The matters discussed were a change to the pay structure, a change to the medical benefits structure, a discussion regarding the reporting of the vacant shift officer position, a discussion regarding the retention of a recruitment agency for the vacant Chief position, options for an interim Chief, vehicle repairs and an update to the department’s Covid policy.

The pay structure and medical benefits structure conversation was based around making the department more competitive as an employer. The department has an unfilled vacancy that has been open for six months and it has been identified that one of the reasons was the pay range that we offered. Board Chair, Iain Irwin-Powell, also noted that the lack of transparency around pay and benefits structure had created friction in the department. The board passed a motion to implement the new structure and Irwin-Powell will provide a financial impact assessment for 2021 and 2022.

The board discussed trying to fill the open position with an EMT rather than paramedic but decided that they should repost the paramedic position first to see if the pay structure changes provided any applicants.

The board deferred on retaining a recruitment agency to hear a proposal from Irwin-Powell regarding an interim Chief. Director Falsetti contacted 10 firms for recruitment proposals and costs, received six rejections and two quotes.

Irwin-Powell stated that the department needed an interim Chief urgently as operational decisions were arising that needed rapid attention that should not be elevated to board level creating unnecessary delay. Irwin-Powell presented three options; a volunteer chief selected by the members, an internal staff member taking on the role or presenting an offer to an external interim Chief candidate of a 12 month term while the department searched for a new full-time Chief. The board passed the motion to pursue the external interim.

The board also approved repairs to one of the water tenders and an updated Covid policy based on the high transmission rates in Boulder County and the Delta variant.

The next regular board meeting is on the September 15, 2021. The board may require earlier meetings as well. Meetings will be posted on the district website https://www.nfpd.org/.