The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District’s Fire Chief Roger Johnson will retire on July 1, after serving 12 years with the District.

The Fire District Board of Directors started the process for hiring a new fire chief nearly a year ago when Chief Johnson announced his retirement.

“The community has been fortunate to have such a high-quality individual as Chief Johnson in this leadership position for the past twelve years,” said Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District Board President Kristie Miller. “Selecting a new Fire Chief that would continue the good work that Chief Johnson has done is very important to the Board.”

The Board of Directors worked with the Special Districts Association of Oregon and the Western Fire Chiefs Association to conduct a national search for qualified candidates. Ultimately, 10 candidates applied for the position and the Board of Directors narrowed the list down to the five most qualified applicants.

The five remaining applicants will participate in an extensive interview process with local stakeholders and technical experts on Monday, March 4. The Board of Directors will make a final determination after the interview process is complete.

The Sisters community is invited to meet the five semifinalists at a social gathering at the Ski Inn on March 3, from 4 to 6 p.m. The community will have the opportunity to visit with candidates and learn more about them.

“We wanted to provide an opportunity for the community to be engaged in the process and have the ability to provide feedback if they wanted to,” Miller said. “Sisters is a close-knit community and we are looking for a great leader who will be responsive to the needs of the community and be a good partner with other emergency response agencies.”

The five semi-finalists for the position are:

• Timothy Craig — Deputy Chief of Operations and Training for Sisters Camp Sherman Fire District.

• Erik Holt — Former Fire Chief, Florissant Fire District, Colorado.

• Kyle Nelson — Former Fire Chief Oregon Air National Guard, Portland, Oregon.

• Anthony Prior — current Fire Chief City of Kenai Alaska.

• Peter Tehila — Division Chief of Logistics, City of Austin Fire Department, Texas.