Consultant helping to rebuild fire department

People apparently pleased with the mayor's selection of a consultant who has been helping the Coulee Dam Fire Department were not happy with the mayor's refusal last week to commit to hiring him longterm.

Brought in to assess the fire department and work with member firefighters in the wake of resignations and investigations, Michael Green told The Star after a well-attended town council meeting Jan. 14, that the department's problems would not be hard to fix.

Wilder asked Michael Green to tell the council about his background.

Green said he had retired to Tonasket for health reasons after a career in emergency services and fire fighting that included positions ranging from emergency medical technician to the chief of a fire department merged from five just outside of Reno, Nevada. Now he does consulting work.

He's met twice with Coulee Dam's firefighters, he said, "a great group of people who I see committed not to fix the blame for the past but to fix the course for the future."

Wilder presented the council with an inch-thick set of documents as he spoke about problems that have occurred within the fire department, some of which have been solved, some not. And he read from a letter that had just arrived from the Department of Health, whose inspector, he said, was "elated" with the condition of the town's ambulance after a followup inspection noting that a working defibrillator is now on board and other improvements.

Wilder credited fire department volunteers with taking on the work, with Interim Fire Chief Clint Bjorson, including putting together a department policy and procedures manual, which Wilder displayed in a thick three-ring binder.

He said the department's fire trucks have now past muster from the Washington State Patrol, although there may still be repairs needed for onboard pumps. And the WSP had suggested, not required, hundreds of other items to be addressed.

But Wilder said a "litany of issues" in the department must now be taken on following a complaint recently filed with an agency that oversees workers' safety and health.

He said he didn't know who had made the complaint, but the city had then requested a consultation analysis. That resulted in a 12-month timeframe for fixing those issues, including adopting state requirements that have been law for 18 years, cleaning equipment, addressing fire hazards and replacing outdated equipment.

Wilder said understanding the full list of requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration was necessary before making a decision about hiring a consultant for the full scope of work.

Several people asked him for assurance that Green could continue his work in the interim.

"We would like a verbal commitment that you are going to allow him to keep helping the fire department get their morale back on track for a reasonable price," said David Netzel.

Wilder said Green could continue to work with Bjorson on other issues and keep attending fire meetings. But decisions haven't been made to allow for multiple thousands of dollars to be spent on consultants.

The council ratified the membership of three new fire fighters that night: Andrew Deelstra, Betty Nichols and Tristan Daniels.