 Recently Mayor Keith Snyder said that on Friday, he will swear in
Assistant Chief Mark Miller as the interim chief.
Snyder said that before the city begins the search for a new
chief, he wants an opportunity to review the job description and
make changes so that it will be more representative of the duties
the chief is expected to perform.
On Tuesday, there was a potluck lunch in Snyder's office in honor
of the departing fire chief. Several city and county representatives
attended, including Alderwoman Joni Tibbs, Alderman Buzz Busby,
representatives from the Logan County Emergency Management Agency,
Lincoln Police Department, city of Lincoln administrative staff and
zoning officer John Lebegue, as well as members of the community.
On Tuesday evening at the committee-of-the-whole meeting of the
Lincoln City Council, Hulett was honored once again with a plaque
from the city, presented by Snyder, and a pie buffet put together by
Kathy Vinyard.
During the meeting, Hulett passed out a written report that
summarized the work that has been done in the fire department over
the last few years and outlined his hopes for the future of the
department.
He spoke to the council, using the report as his outline.
The following is a copy of Hulett's report:
As Fire Chief for
the Lincoln Fire Department this will be my last monthly report.
Assistant Chief Mark Miller has been appointed as interim fire chief
by Mayor Keith Snyder. The appointment will be in effect November
26, 2010. Interim Chief Miller is very capable in moving our
organization forward.
During my two and
one half year tenure I have made a number of operational changes
with the support of your firefighters to improve the Lincoln Fire
Department.
Staffing continues
to be a priority issue within the fire department. Improvements in
our countywide mutual aid fire system have allowed us to bring more
firefighters into the city quicker whenever needed. 90% of our
current budget cost are related to personnel cost of our nineteen
firefighters and officers. The Lincoln Fire Department also responds
within Logan County whenever requested by our neighboring
fire/EMS/Emergency agencies.
Training is an
ongoing priority. We lost over one hundred years of service with the
retirement of four senior fire officers. The hiring/training and
certification was required for four new firefighters and newly
appointed officers and inspector. Currently the three shift Captains
are responsible for department wide training requirements.
Smoke detectors and
home fire/fall safety are programs that have improved fire safety
throughout the community. Smoke detectors are checked on emergency
medical calls, as well as home fire/fall safety visits for our
senior citizens. Smoke detectors are bought through local donations,
with the firefighter's union purchasing batteries.
Recently, the city
and county entered into a "memorandum of understanding" for
improvements and equipment upgrades for proper hazardous material
storage handling and documentation. Our firefighters will be able to
access critical information immediately to safely handle any
hazardous material emergencies throughout Lincoln and Logan County.
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 75% of our workload
involves emergency medical calls. Our EMT's and Paramedics provide
life safety skills along with the Logan County Paramedics for any
medical emergencies or simply to assist seniors with minor falls.
Two Lincoln citizens are alive today because of live saving measures
during sudden cardiac arrest, recently.
There still remain
many challenges and goals for the Lincoln Fire Department. Increased
staffing, new fire station, new rescue pumper, improved training are
all areas that require long term planning and support from you the
City Council of Lincoln.
I thank you for you
support of the Lincoln Fire Department and it's been a pleasure
working with all of you. I'm proud of the fact, that every
firefighter went home safe after the end of their shifts, and there
were no fire deaths under my watch.
At the end of the evening, Snyder presented the plaque in
appreciation of all that Hulett has done for the city. The mayor
spoke briefly, expressing that same appreciation and saying that
even though he was very sorry to see the chief leave, he wished him
all the best as he moves on.
Alderwoman Joni Tibbs also expressed a sorrow to see the chief
departing. She said that she had always been impressed with his
visibility in the community. She noted various community events and
fundraisers that he was always present for and noted that the water
balloon fight on the Fourth of July will not be the same without
him. She said she knew that the kids especially were going to miss
him on that day.
There were other council members who also expressed sorrow in
seeing him go, but at the same time wished him all the best in his
new ventures, including Alderwomen Melody Anderson and Kathy Horn.
In a joking manner, Snyder concluded that perhaps the only ones
who would not be sorry to see the chief go were the businesses that
hosted the chamber of commerce after-hours events.
"We're sad to see you go," Snyder said. "I think that the only
people who might be happy are the chamber businesses that now don't
have to have as much food for their after-hours, as a third of the
‘Snack Pack' is gone. I don't know if you all know this, but Chief
Hulett, Mike Fak and Bob Alberts make up the Snack Pack, and they
did a lot of damage at the after-hours chamber events. So with a
third of them now gone, they won't have to have as much food."
After the meeting adjourned, all the council members enjoyed a
piece or two of pie with the chief and spent a few minutes offering
him their personal farewells.
[By NILA SMITH]
Editor's note: Mayor Keith Snyder has filed an application to take Chief
Hulett's place in the Snack Pack group. The petition is under consideration.
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