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NFPD Chief resigns, search for new Chief begins

Christopher Kelley
Posted 4/13/23

On March 4, 2023, the Nederland Fire Protection District (NFPD) Board of Directors accepted Fire Chief Michael Scott’s resignation from the Nederland Fire Department. An official statement from the

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NFPD Chief resigns, search for new Chief begins

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On March 4, 2023, the Nederland Fire Protection District (NFPD) Board of Directors accepted Fire Chief Michael Scott’s resignation from the Nederland Fire Department. An official statement from the NFPD Board acknowledged Scott’s contributions as Chief.

“With his guidance and our member’s efforts, we are stronger than we have ever been,” the statement read.

On March 7, the NFPD Board of Directors held a special meeting to appoint an interim Fire Chief and to institute the process for hiring a permanent replacement. The Board voted unanimously to internally appoint Charlie Schmidtmann as the Interim Chief for a period not to exceed six months.

At that same meeting the NFPD voted unanimously to approve Lucy Zamarripa of Smarter HR Solutions to begin the hiring process for a replacement Fire Chief. The Board wanted to draft a more thorough job description before officially posting the open position. The position must be posted internally to allow for internal candidates to apply, and the recruitment process for the position must begin within six months of Scott’s resignation.

On March 15 at 7 p.m., the NFPD Board of Directors met for their regular meeting to cancel their 2023 election, to designate members to provide financial management services, and to provide employee assistance program (EAP) benefits to volunteer firefighters.

The election for open positions on the NFPD Board that had been scheduled for May 2 was canceled because there were the same number of candidates as available positions. The Board elected Savannah Ames, Guy Falsetti, and Todd Wiesler to four-year terms on the Board of Directors.

Resolution 2023-09 gave the authority to provide financial management services on behalf of the Board to Consultant Stephanie Cooke, Board President Iain Irwin-Powell, Board Secretary Jessica McElvain, and Administrator Sherry Snyder. The resolution passed.

The Triad EAP provides eligible employees with professional counseling services, with a choice of in-person or telehealth counseling options. The Triad EAP is a prepaid service offered by the employer and is meant to provide short-term, solution-based counseling.

Interim Chief Charlie Schmidtmann presented the Chief’s Report during the March 15 meeting, which detailed the district’s calls of significance, operations, training, and projects.

From the middle of February to the meeting on March 15, the NFPD responded to a small kitchen fire in a residence, a call regarding a snowboarder who was lost for more than 29 hours (who was later found and transported by the NFPD), and several calls to accidents at Eldora.

Schmidtmann’s report noted issues of a leaking steering box in their main ambulance, a malfunctioning main engine, a constantly draining battery, and a fuel tank needing replacement. The report also mentioned several interagency training sessions: on forcible entry with Timberline Fire Department and on backcountry rescue training with Rocky Mountain Rescue Group.

On March 23, the NFPD held a badging ceremony honoring their newest probationary firefighters John Mountain, Chris Lynch, Jordan Reichers, and Tara Sergo. Ian Glycenfer was promoted to firefighter; Ken Kehoe and Lindsey Sweeney were promoted to lieutenant; and Lauren Sweeney and Forrest Kehoewe were named junior cadets.

On April 6 at 7 p.m. the NFPD held a special meeting to continue their discussion regarding the process of hiring a new Fire Chief and to finish drafting the job description and expected qualifications for the Fire Chief position.

The Board reviewed the results from an internal survey of fire department staff and volunteers on several matters regarding the Fire Chief search. The survey asked whether the NFPD should search internally or externally for a replacement Chief; asked if the candidate should be someone who already lives in the district; and asked about what character traits and career qualifications are expected.

Of the 13 members who took the survey, four opted for the NFPD to perform candidate searches only internally within the district, while one voted for externally and eight voted for both. Six thought that the candidate should live in the district, and 10 voted against the idea that all of the duties expected of a Chief needed to be met by one person. Eight felt that administrative strengths would eliminate the need for the Chief to play a responsive role, and nine voted against the requirement for a full-time Fire Chief.

In a ranked listing of the desired qualifications for the position, operational leadership, paramedic experience, and mentoring experience were considered the highest priority by survey-takers. Administrative abilities such as business management, Chief experience, and grant writing expertise were placed lower on the prioritized list.

In a ranked listing of the desired experience for the position, survey-takers considered interagency cooperation, cooperation with local, county, and federal jurisdictions, and committee-based governance to be high priority. Mechanical aptitude and political and CEO-based experience were placed lower on the list.

The NFPD Board also finalized their draft of the job description and expected qualifications for the Fire Chief position. The Board discussed potentially offering the position as a part-time position with added benefits in an effort to make a more enticing offer. It was also specified that an internal search to appoint perhaps an existing Shift Captain into the Fire Chief position would be preferred over an external search for candidates.

The decision to focus primarily on internal candidates rather than external candidates was based on the issue of expediency, as an external search could take up to six months. There were also concerns of external candidates being able to find a place and afford a home within the district, and if they could not do so, if those candidates would then be willing to travel great distances from their home to their job.

In further discussion concerning the set hours for the position, the Board specified either four ten-hour shifts a week or five eight-hour shifts, with an “exempt” status regarding overtime pay. The Board reconstructed and refined the language and deleted redundancies within the draft job description after carefully poring over the desired minimum requirements and qualifications for the position, as well as the operational, administrative, and emergency operational duties expected of the Fire Chief.

The Board unanimously approved the finalized draft of the job description and authorized Zamarripa of Smarter HR Solutions to begin advertising the open position in hopes that internal candidates will apply.

The Nederland Fire Protection District (NFPD) Board of Directors meets the third Wednesday of every month and can now be attended in person or online on Microsoft Teams. Their next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at 7 p.m. For more information go to: https://www.nfpd.org