It may have been a unanimous vote but if you ask the five members of the Sedona Fire District’s Governing Board, it was far from an easy decision. On Tuesday, June 18, Jon Trautwein was offered the job as the district’s new chief, six months after the departure of Fire Chief Kris Kazian.
The board directed Acting Chief Jayson Coil to begin contract negotiations with Trautwein, who is currently a deputy chief for the Pasadena Fire Department in Southern California. He’s expected to start in late August. An in-depth feature on him will appear in the Sedona Red Rock News in a later edition.
“What I was looking for was a district with a really good foundation, with really good leaders — from the fire board to the administrative staff and command staff,” Trautwein said after the meeting. “And that’s what I found. To be engaged in this process and to pursue that has been very exciting for me. It will probably take a while for it to sink in that I’m now the chief of the Sedona Fire District.”
He said his first priority will be to get to know the staff and assess what’s going on. “It’s one thing from the outside when you do your research than it is being on the inside,” he said.
The other two finalists included Jim Dickerson, division chief of operations for Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue in Florence, Ore., and Greg Tryon, deputy chief for Eastside Fire & Rescue in Issaquah, Wash.
“In the 35 years I put in with the fire service, and making a lot of decisions, as you well know, this ranks right up there with one of the most difficult,” Board Chairman Dave Soto said. “To those two that we do not select, you take back to your respective districts pride and honor in knowing that you finished as high as you did. There’s nothing to be ashamed of, I’m proud of the community through ensuring services and needed support to deliver these services are adequately funded. SFD is a critical component to ensuring essential emergency services are available to the community.
“I am proud of the members of SFD that worked to ensure this budget was efficient. I believe it aligns with the intent outlined by the governing board. I wish to recognize the work and time both staff and program managers have invested in preparing a balanced, fiscally responsible budget.”
SFD’s Finance Director Gabe Buldra said the district is continuing to move forward on its 10-year capital improvement plan. Included will be improvements on Station 4 in Uptown, which will be started sooner than later during that time frame.
“The whole point of the capital plan is the flexibility to adjust as need be,” he said. “If priorities get moved up, we’ll look at reprioritizing other items to ensure there is adequate funding.”
Coil said the first year the district will be paying for work on Station 4 will be Fiscal Year 2022. This means there will be a two-year overlap where they will be paying for both Station 4 and Station 6 at the same time. The Chapel-area station will be paid off in 2024. It will be determined at that time if the funding is in place to improve Station 5 in Oak Creek Canyon.
Ron Eland can be reached at 282-7795, ext. 122 or by email at reland@larsonnewspapers.com
