New fire chief met with enthusiasm | Letter

Published 12:07 pm Friday, February 17, 2012

On Feb. 14 at a regular meeting of the Board of Fire Commissioners for San Juan County Fire Protection District #2, Kevin O’Brien signed the contract for his new position as Fire Chief of Orcas Island Fire and Rescue, effective March 1. As chair of the Board of Fire Commissioners this year, I would like to thank publicly the people who made this decision possible.

The Fire Chief Search Committee members were dedicated and impartial; they worked very hard to ensure that the best candidate was selected for this position. Therefore, I must commend the following members of the committee for an assignment well done: Art Lange and Dawn Parnell for the community, Lindsay Schirmer for the paid staff, and Dave Zoeller and Rich Harvey for the volunteers. James Wolf added his expertise in an advisory role, as well as Rick Anda, CFO of Orcas Island Fire and Rescue. The other two Fire Commissioners – Jim Coffin and Clyde Duke – are to be applauded as well for their support of the committee’s unequivocal choice.

The selection of Kevin O’Brien continues to be met with great enthusiasm and bodes well for the future of our fire department.  Current Chief Mike Harris generously has agreed to stay on in a consulting role through May, guaranteeing a smooth transition during this “change of watch.”

Finally, I wish to express my gratitude to the residents of Orcas Island who took the time to write letters of recommendation regarding Kevin’s candidacy. Your comments were very much appreciated.

Barbara Bedell

Chair, Board of Fire Commissioners