Fire District 6 in Early Talks of Contracting With City of Chehalis for Interim Fire Chief

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Lewis County Fire Protection District 6, which provides fire services to rural Chehalis and Adna, is in talks with the City of Chehalis to contract for interim fire chief services — a process that still must pass through both entities’ legal counsel.

“It’s got to go through their board, their legal, it’s got to come back, go through our legal, and if it’s mutually acceptable, then that’s the direction that we’re going to go,” said District 6 Fire Commissioner Jim Martin.

Former District 6 Chief Tim Kinder submitted his letter of resignation April 8.

Martin, during a meeting of the District 6 commissioners Tuesday evening, said the arrangement is far from set in stone, and has yet to go before the Chehalis City Council. Following the meeting, Martin told The Chronicle that the contract is the leading option to secure an interim chief, but there are backup options in place should the contract fail to materialize.

Chehalis Fire Chief Ken Cardinale said he was unable to comment on the potential contract, saying any questions should be referred to Martin or city administration. Chehalis City Manager Jill Anderson was unavailable for comment prior to press time.

In the meantime, assistant fire chief Patrick Smith has taken on many of Kinder’s roles.

A job posting for fire chief was advertised last week, and since then there have been 13 responses, said Martin. District Public Information Officer DJ Hammer advised the job opening was advertised in the Seattle Times, The Olympian and online hiring websites, with a total advertising cost coming in at around $2,500.

The first round of reviewing applications will occur July 22, said Hammer, but the posting will remain open until the position is filled.

The job lists an annual salary range of $75,500 to $105,500 and requires a bachelor’s degree in fire, public or business administration. The full listing can be found online at lcfd6.org.

Kinder resigned from the position following a 1 hour and 45 minute executive session with the commission on April 8. Kinder was invited to join the session about 52 minutes after it began. The purpose of the executive session, according to meeting minutes, was to review the performance of a public employee.

Following the meeting, Martin announced Kinder had submitted his letter of resignation.

“All I can tell you is that he resigned. That’s all we’re willing to say,” Martin told The Chronicle last week.

Snure Law Office, which provides legal counsel for the district, responded to a public records request from The Chronicle requesting any documents pertaining to Kinder’s resignation on June 24.

The response reads in part: “We are in the process of identifying and gathering the records responsive to the request. We currently anticipate being able to begin providing responsive records or a follow up response on or before July 11, 2019.”

Chronicle reporter Will Rubin contributed to this story.