At the next meeting on Dec. 18 in Pioche, the board of county commissioners search committee plans to submit three names for review as the new county emergency management coordinator.
Committee member Nathan Katschke emphasized that the position being filled will be an emergency management coordinator who will also have oversight of the Lincoln County Fire District. “It’s not fire chief, it’s an emergency management coordinator first, and the fire district oversight included.”
Current coordinator and district fire chief Rick Stever is retiring, effective Jan. 5, 2018.
Katschke reported at the commissioners meeting on Monday that a six-member search committee met Nov. 29 to review the seven applications that had been received.
He said interviews with four of the applicants were held this Tuesday. Commissioner Kevin Phillips requested that following the interviews, the committee narrow the field to three to present to the commission board at the Dec. 18 meeting.
Katschke said two of the applicants showed particularly high level experience in emergency management, but none currently had all the certifications and licenses the state requires. “The person selected is going to have to obtain those remaining certifications and go through other specialized trainings,” he said. However, most of those classes are available online.
A list of interview questions was prepared based upon the committee’s reading of the applicants information.
Another matter of concern to the search committee was what the starting pay scale of the position was to be and if the applicants could agree to what the might be the initial amount set. Commission chair Paul Donohue said he thought the pay scale ought to be at the starting grade.
Outgoing EM coordinator Stever had recommended to the commission board some months ago that he felt the position really warranted two full-time people, saying, “There was enough work for both of them.”
However, the board decided to make the position just for a full-time emergency management coordinator.
