Change of Command
In
a series of ceremonies (2008
Retirement Ceremony Photos)
on February 6th, long-time North Kitsap Fire &
Rescue (NKF&R) Fire Chief Paul Nichol turned over
the reins of the department to William D.
“Dan” Smith.
Smith, 50, has
served as the district’s Assistant Chief of
Operations under Nichol for 15 years. Widely
respected by fire service professionals within
Kitsap County as well as across Washington State,
Smith has served in virtually every position during
his 26 years in the field. He began as a volunteer
firefighter in 1981 and rose through the ranks,
acquiring the kind of broad experience and training
that comes with filling multiple roles in a small
but rapidly growing department.
First serving as a
volunteer firefighter, the 66
year-old Nichol joined the former Kitsap
County Fire District #10 (Kingston) in 1960. After
a short tenure as Fire Chief on Whidbey Island, he
was wooed back to Kingston to serve as this
department’s first paid employee
in 1982. Under his leadership, the
department has become larger but far more efficient
through three mergers. Steering the district
through rapid community growth and declining
volunteerism, Nichol oversaw the agency’s transition
from all-volunteer firefighters to a career-based
response force that now numbers nearly thirty. “Our
district ‘came of age’ under his leadership,” notes
NKF&R Board of Fire Commissioners
Chairwoman Gillian Gregory. “It’s because of
Paul Nichol that NKF&R is what it is today, though
one of his most endearing qualities is that he’ll
deny it.”
Read
more about Chief Nichol's career in
this story from the Kitsap Sun.
Commissioners
Rename Headquarters Station in Honor of Retiring Chief
In his first
official
act after being sworn in as the new head of NKF&R, Fire Chief Dan Smith
offered up a surprise resolution for consideration by the Board of Fire
Commissioners. Before reading the document, Smith called the
entire department to stand with him as he presented the idea.
Flanked by firefighters and staff, he suggested that the district's
headquarters facility be renamed the "Paul T. Nichol Headquarters Fire
Station."
The resolution
was passed unanimously.
Service
Recognized, Retirees Honored, New Members Welcomed in Awards Ceremony
Also on February 6th,
NKF&R said "farewell" to retiring volunteer Battalion Chief David
Freestone during awards ceremonies (2008
Awards Ceremony Photos) in which veteran members were recognized for
their years of service. The department also officially welcomed
three members into their ranks: Capt Steve Engle, Firefighter/Paramedic
Bill Jerrell and FF/EMT
Sherman Williamson, III.
|
