Hopkins named interim fire chief

SANDPOINT — Following the retirement of Selkirk Fire, Rescue and EMS Chief Ron Stocking in October, City Council approved Dale Hopkins as interim fire chief on Wednesday.

Stocking served as fire chief for Sandpoint, Westside and Sagle fire districts under a joint powers agreement, and Hopkins served as assistant fire chief. While council members made it official on Wednesday, Hopkins has been serving as interim fire chief since Stocking’s retirement on Oct. 15, said City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton.

“From an administration standpoint, both the mayor and I are very confident in his abilities not only to lead Selkirk Fire during this time, but also to appropriately represent the city of Sandpoint, be involved in our cross-departmental needs and discussions and, as appropriate, a member of our city-wide leadership team,” Stapleton said.

Hopkins said he is a Sandpoint native, as were his parents and grandparents, and he now resides in Dover. He started in the fire service in 1985 in Rathdrum where he worked his way to battalion chief. Rathdrum consolidated with Hayden Fire, he said, and he worked there until about 10 years ago. When he moved back to the area, he took a job as fire chief for Westside Fire before becoming the assistant chief for Selkirk under the JPA. Hopkins told council he believes in the JPA and wants it to continue under his leadership.

“My goal is to continue that process and bring it to what I believe is the full fruition of the process,” Hopkins said.

Sandpoint and Sagle fire districts entered into a joint powers agreement on Jan. 2, 2015, with Westside Fire District joining in October 2016.

Hopkins will serve as interim chief through Sept. 30, 2020, and there is no plan to fill the assistant fire chief position at this time, Stapleton said, resulting in a savings of approximately $39,000 for each agency.

Stapleton updated the council on a recommendation by the Sandpoint representatives on the Joint Powers Board to use the funds to hire a consultant to perform a comprehensive operational assessment and feasibility study, though it is still under consideration by the board. The goal, Stapleton said, would be to develop a clear, data-driven business plan that looks at the shared operational structure and considers a variety of other best-practice governance and structure models. It would also look at possible growth opportunities, including the addition of new partners, as well as provide a current and future staffing model and complete fiscal analysis.

If the board chooses to move forward with the study, Stapleton said it would ultimately lead to a long-term decision on overall staffing structure and how the agencies will continue to operate under the JPA.

“There are a couple of different consulting firms across the country that specialize in these reviews, operational analysis and recommendations, so we are hopeful that the Joint Powers Board will agree to the joint study,” Stapleton said.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.