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Commissioners OK all-volunteer force

By Meg Olson

Point Roberts fire commissioners have given up looking for a fire chief. They’re going to stick with what they have.

“I’ve given this a lot of thought and I’m going to make a bold move and ask chief Skinner if he would be available,” commissioner Bill Meursing said at the December 8 meeting of the fire district board. Bill Skinner, who is currently serving as volunteer deputy chief and the department’s paid part-time administrator, said no. He couldn’t take a full-time position with his job as a pilot for Air Canada. “Could you do this job effectively with the help of an assistant?” Meursing persevered, and got his yes.

Commissioners will take action at their January 19 meeting on a new department structure worked out at a December 13 work session. “With approval from the board I will continue to function as the district administrator, part time and paid by the hour,” Skinner said following the meeting. “When the work is there I do it, exactly what I’m doing now.” Former fire chief Nick Kiniski will take over as assistant administrator and training coordinator, also a part-time position, paid hourly.

Operationally, the department will be completely volunteer, with Skinner as volunteer chief and Kiniski as his deputy. “As far as providing service on the street we’ll be volunteers and compensated as volunteers,” Skinner said, which will leave department leadership under the protection of the Board of Volunteer Firefighters and Reserve Officers and adding up to a savings in benefits.

“Back to the old days,” Skinner said, referring to his days as deputy chief under former volunteer fire chief David Gellatly. Gellatly was displaced in 1998 when commissioners hired Scott Chehock as the department’s first full-time chief. Gellatly is now one of the fire district’s three commissioners. Since 1998 the department has had four fire chiefs. Chehock resigned in a storm of questions about his leadership and qualifications. Mike Campbell left to lead North Whatcom Fire and Rescue Services (NWFRS) and was subsequently convicted of the rape of a child. As division chief under the NWFRS umbrella Mike Cadden left because of too many hours on call with the quick response vehicle and family disenchantment with the Point.

Nick Kiniski became the first chief selected locally but as an employee of NWFRS his position vanished when fire district 5 left that organization. He has been serving as volunteer chief. He expressed no discomfort with swapping the chief’s spot with Skinner, whom he admitted was a more able administrator and an admired colleague. “I think chief Skinner is one of the best if not the best fire professional I’ve ever met,” he said. Skinner added that Kiniski’s strengths lay in training and emergency medicine, and the new structure would take advantage of those skills.

Skinner said the return to a volunteer led department with added resources to meet growing administrative burdens would solve at least one problem for the department – finding a qualified and willing chief. There were 48 applicants for the job in 1998 and commissioners interviewed eight, selecting Chehock. This time there were less than 10 applicants and of the three interviewed, commissioners weren’t comfortable selecting any of them. “I think this has a better chance of success with respect to turnaround,” Skinner said. “Hopefully we can fill these slots in future from within our ranks. The most important point in achieving that is developing out personnel resources.”

At the December 8 meeting Gellatly said he supported Skinner taking over the reins but wanted the input of absent commissioner Susan Brownrigg and more time to work out details of the new structure. “This is a fairly significant shift in direction for us,” he said. “Let’s work on what we need to achieve what we would with a full-time chief.” Gellatly suggested some planning work could be contracted out and that the department might consider starting a program of community volunteers who are not firefighters but administrative aides. “These are needs beyond fighting fires and emergency medicine,” he said.