Though it will defer the vote until its official meeting on Wed., June 10, the Jackson County Fire District 1 Board of Directors will vote on the timeline, means, and criteria for hiring its new chief, in time for a Jan. 1, 2027 start.
At a workshop in the afternoon on Mon., June 1, Director Jim Stearns, who has the unique position of being a former chief at District 1 who has worked for the Special Districts Association of Oregon (SDAO), which, among other services, helps special districts in hiring searches, described a “hybrid” recruiting process, in which SDAO will help in the early stages of the process, and Stearns, and at least one consultant, carrying on from there to its completion.
At the June 10 meeting, the board will vote on the final job description for the chief, the chief’s benefits package, and the timeline for the hiring process.
The board gave nodding approval for the timeline it will likely use. It will start with 30 days of SDAO advertising, beginning on July 1. The position will be advertised in the Oregon section of the jobs listing, but it will be spread nationwide, Stearns said.
“If there’s a fire chief, and he’s looking, he’ll be checking the daily dispatch, the industry standard for it,” he said.
By the end of this period, or at least by Aug. 7, after it has sifted through candidates deemed unsuitable for the position, SDAO will have the remaining applications and resumes to Stearns for the District 1 board’s perusal.
At its Aug. 12 meeting, the board would select its semifinalists, cutting the field down to seven or five candidates. The semifinalists will be notified by Aug. 19 and asked to come to Rogue River on Sept. 23-24.
A meet-and-greet event between the public and members of the local firefighters’ union has been planned for Wed., Sept. 23, at the fire station, from 6 to 8 p.m.
The next day will include three interview sessions: a citizens’ panel, including members of the public; a technical panel, including fire chiefs from around Southern Oregon; and a test in the form of a work assignment.
The board said the district would not pay for applicants’ travel to Rogue River, but would pay for one night’s hotel stay in Rogue River.
Gordon Sletmoe, a former deputy and acting chief at the Medford Fire Department and a former chief at the Lebanon Fire District, who now has a consultant position at SDAO, will act as a liaison between the job candidates and the board and will assist the citizens’ panel during its interviews with the candidates.
Stearns said that he would be able to search from the time the district receives its batch of applications in August until the September interviews.
“I would like to, at that point, I would like to step back and be a board member, evaluating rather than participating,” he said. “Gordon knows Jackson County very well, and all the players down here and everything. Gordon is willing to step in and represent SDAO through the testing process.
The initial services through SDAO include hotel accommodations and the hiring of an investigator to assist with the background check. Stearns suggested a background and credit check, a physical exam, and a psychological exam. SDAO covers the background and credit check. The district would cover the others.
The advertisement will be for a candidate with at least 10 years’ experience as a firefighter, with at least five years’ command experience, with at least an Associate’s Degree in Fire Science, while listing wildland firefighting and experience in a department that includes ambulance service as a “desirable” qualification, with nods toward having experience in seeking grant funding.
The board discussed whether to implement a residency requirement.
“When did we ever have a fire chief that didn’t live in the district?” Stearns asked.
Hammond said the department had a stipulation that the chief reside at least within 20 miles of the fire station.
He suggested that the board “be careful” not to disqualify a candidate who may ultimately decide to live in Medford. Director Randy Cort said former chief James Price was unable to initially find a home in Rogue River when he was hired in 2014, but eventually did find one in the city.
‘I think you need to have something as a parameter,” Chair John Ellis said.
“I think it’s desirable to live within the district that pays your salary,” Stearns said. “I think for a fire chief, I don’t have a problem putting that expectation on somebody.”
The board elected to list residency as a “desirable”.
“By having it as a ‘desirable’, that will give us the ability, if we have a candidate who’s just extraordinary, and the candidate says, ‘I can live in Hugo and be here in 20 minutes,’ it gives us, as a board, the latitude to negotiate that,” Ellis said.
Reach reporter Brian Mortensen at [email protected] or 541-582-1707.