Sedona Fire District’s Governing Board accepted Fire Chief Jon Trautwein’s pending retirement and discussed what it means for SFD moving forward at their special board meeting on Wednesday, July 6.
“There’s been nothing but incredible support for myself and the command the last several years. I believe this is a great organization with great leadership,” Trautwein said. “And because of that, I’m confident it will continue to move forward in a productive and positive way.”
Trautwein initially announced his retirement, slated for Sept. 3, in an email last week. After 30 years in the fire service, 27 years at Pasadena Fire Department in California and three years at SFD, Trautwein will be focusing on family going into his retirement.
“I have served in the fire service for over 30 years at great personal and professional sacrifice,” Trautwein said. “I will be debriefing in the months ahead, spending time with family and friends, and moving forward with a plan and objectives for the next season in my life.”
Moving forward for the next month-and-a-half, Trautwein will help the district find a suitable replacement. At the next meeting on July 19, the board intends on reviewing the job posting and requirements for an incoming fire chief.
“I think we’ve come to the moment in time that the residency requirement is modified,” SFD Governing Board Chairman David Soto said. “I’ve looked at [the chief] only living within a certain radius of headquarters to Fire Station 1.”
At the upcoming meeting, the board will discuss this potential change to the residency requirement for the fire chief to include other areas within the Verde Valley. The district has a long-standing tradition of requiring chiefs, similar to other positions in city of Sedona’s top leadership, to live within the city limits in case of urgent issues and calls.
But as the board and Trautwein pointed out, with limited housing and limited situations for an immediate response from the chief, it may be easier to find applicants both internally or externally without the residency requirement.
“Right now we have very strong leadership and we have a very strong forward motion in this fire district,” Trautwein said. “I think we’re moving pretty fast and we’re at a high speed, having that continuity and forward motion continue is another thing that we should consider.”
Before the next meeting, Trautwein will compile a potential list of internal candidates who may be interested and qualified for the promotion to Fire Chief.
And while Trautwein will be used to help identify potential internal hires in the next month and a half, as well as potentially helping to screen external hires, Soto does not foresee a permanent fire chief filling the role by the time Trautwein leaves in September.
In the past, temporary chiefs have had to step in during the transition. Most recently, Assistant Chief Jason Coil filled the position before Trautwein arrived at SFD three years ago.
“I believe we have had some great accomplishments over the past couple of years here with staffing, training, apparatus equipment purchases, budget and plans in significant strategic areas that give us stability and longevity to the district,” Trautwein said.
Trautwein joined the SFD leadership in 2019 from his role as Deputy Fire Chief in southern California. And now that his children are settled in the area, he intends on staying in Northern Arizona after his retirement.
“[Trautwein] has been top-notch since day one, ” Soto said. “He made the calls when it was difficult and everyone seemed to be against him to do it their own way. But he did it with the best interest of the district, people in our community and our firefighters in mind.”
