By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Board of Reno County Commissioners has made a change in fire policy as of Tuesday, but they are also looking at a change in personnel, as they prepare to add a fire administrator.
"The county administrator intends to start interviewing soon," said commission chair Daniel Friesen. "That will be an added benefit to this coordination effort. The current emergency management crew is understaffed for the amount of work they are doing right now. That will be a good add."
The addition of a fire administrator was a recommendation of emergency management staff last June after a study was conducted about the county's fire needs.
"We have a lot of superb volunteer fire departments across the county," Friesen said. "They are invaluable to all of our firefighting efforts. They have other jobs. They can't focus daily on some of the professional work. The intent is to bring a coordinating head to the fire districts. I think there's ongoing discussion on some of the particulars on how that will work."
The new county fire administrator will be able to be temporarily appointed in the case of the vacancy in the chief's position in any of the county's fire districts, but it is not the intent at this point to have that administrator be a fire chief for any of them on an ongoing basis.