The mood during Monday’s special meeting of the Estes Valley Fire Protection District Board was noticeably different from a week ago during a special meeting. Tensions ran high last week in the wake of the resignation of four staff members as the EVFPD Board discussed moving forward with appointing a committee to review five candidates for the role of interim chief.
This week, when the board met, there was a new spirit of moving forward as they received the unanimous recommendation from the committee to appoint Warren Jones to the interim chief position.
Stacey Sutherland, who has held the position of interim chief since June, when Paul Capo was placed on administrative leave, had let the district board know that she did not want to continue in the administrative role, and it could be six months before the district is able to find a new permanent fire chief.
Sutherland had been on track to become a fire marshal when she was tapped to step into the role of interim fire chief in June. She told the board last week that she would hold on until a new interim chief was named.
Over the past week, the five members of the selection committee, which included Board President Sandra Smith, Director Ryan Leahy, Interim Chief Stacey Sutherland, Captain Rick Spear, and Volunteer Captain Justin Kearney, came to the unanimous decision to recommend that the board select Jones, who was praised for his operational and administrative skills, familiarity with combination fire departments, and willingness to relocate to Estes Park while holding the interim position.
In announcing that the committee felt Jones was the right pick, Smith said Jones had both the operational understanding and administrative experience the district needs.
“Chief Jones is also very much familiar with combination fire departments such as ours and appreciates the volunteer-driven culture that defines our district,” said Smith, who also acknowledged Jones’ experience guiding other districts through similar transitions.
“He demonstrates a thoughtful approach focused on finding the right local fit, rather than simply the most impressive resume,” said Smith.
Mark Igel, a firefighter who has been with the District since 1990 and who is also an elected member of the Estes Park Town Board, spoke up to praise the board for their deliberative process, “I appreciate having this opportunity to have confidence in a board and a group that is working together, that did not move too quickly, I think that was wise to take a moment, and yet was able to move quickly enough to schedule this meeting to get on top of this. I’m looking forward to jumping in with both feet. I think a lot of the membership is looking forward to an opportunity to really invest and go forward in a good way. And so, this feels good. So, thank you for investing the time and the effort.”
The board voted unanimously to accept the committee’s recommendation and offer the position to Jones, who indicated that he was available to begin immediately.
In a career spanning nearly 50 years, Jones has held the positions of fire chief, interim chief, chief executive officer, all hazard homeland security coordinator, executive chief, training academy manager, adjunct faculty, flood recovery manager, research assistant, battalion chief, strategic planning project manager, fire marshal, assistant fire marshal, company officer, master planning coordinator, fire inspection coordinator, and firefighter.
He has worked at Aims Community College; Donald Wescott Fire Protection District; Glacier View Fire Protection District; Colorado State University, Warner School of Natural Resources; Front Range Fire Consortium; City of Evans, Colo.; Evans Fire Protection District, Colo.; Colorado State University, School of Education; Poudre Fire Authority; and the Eastman Kodak Company, Windsor, Colo.. He is currently the secretary of the Glacier View Fire Protection District in Livermore.
Jones has three degrees from Colorado State University: a doctorate in education and human resource studies, a master’s degree in political science and public administration, and a bachelor’s degree in education. He also has an associate’s degree in engineering technology with a concentration in fire protection and safety engineering technology from Oklahoma State University. He also received training as an executive fire officer at the National Fire Academy.
Jones’ proposal to the EVFPD for the interim fire chief role for a period of six months includes a salary of $14,000 per month, with 40 hours of personal leave; no benefits other than job-related workers compensation or as required by law and/or district policy; no pension unless required by law and/or district policy; and a district-provided vehicle or vehicle allowance. He will be primarily officed at the Dannels Fire Station.
In his role, he is willing to participate with a consultant to conduct a nationwide search for the recruitment and selection of a permanent fire chief on behalf of the board, up to the final selection and negotiation steps.