New Fire Chief Gregg Peterson, right, talks with Chief Tim Kinder of rural Chehalis’s Lewis County Fire District 6, left, and District 5 firefighters Raymond Smerek and Merlin Correia.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
NAPAVINE – Two months after both the chief and his second-in command resigned, the fire department that protects Napavine and the surrounding area has hired a new leader.
Gregg Peterson, who has served the past six years as the volunteer chief in the Boistfort Valley where he resides, was sworn in last night.
“I consider it an honor to be here working for, actually working for, you guys,” Peterson said to a small group of the department’s firefighters, EMTs and two its three board members.
Peterson, 59, has more than three decades of experience as a professional firefighter behind him. He retired in 2011 from Valley Regional Fire Authority in South King County.
The father of four now grown children counts 28 years total as a volunteer, much of which came after he joined Lewis County Fire District 13 in 1995 when the family moved to Lewis County.
Lewis County Fire District 5 which serves a population of about 12,000 over a 66-square-mile area south of Chehalis is known for changing chiefs fairly often.
Jamie Guenther, chair of its board of commissioners, said the trio wanted to hire someone who could have broad support.
He told the group assembled last night they pared the five applications they got back down to three candidates. The interviews were conducted by a group of six members of the public, including individuals such as the chair of the school board, a city council member and local business owner, John Sweeny of Ace Hardware, he said.
The vote was unanimous, Guenther said.
“All the people in that room chose Gregg, so I think we can say he’s the people’s chief for District 5,” he said.
Peterson’s first day on the job will be Monday.
Fire Commissioner Lyle Hojem told the gathering the board graded candidates and all three agreed on the committee’s choice.
In contrast with the district’s last chief Eric Linn who was paid $82,000 a year and benefits that totaled more than $19,000, Peterson agreed to an annual salary of only $40,000 a year. It’s $35,000 during a probationary period, according to Guenther.
Their agreement calls for the chief to work up to 32 hours.
“The current board didn’t hire Eric, a lot of people didn’t like the high wages,” Guenther said while attendees shared ice cream with Peterson and his family.
Peterson said he doesn’t need medical insurance as his wife works, and he gets it through her job. He said they negotiated a deal he thought worked well for the district and for himself.
“I think they’re getting the best bang for their buck,” Peterson said.
His primary goal in the near term is learning how District 5 operates and meeting the people the department serves, he said.
The fire department currently has four full time paid firefighters and 21 volunteers. Their fourth firefighter-EMT Maria Kennedy was hired in mid-April.
Peterson expects he will gradually transition out of the volunteer chief position in Boistfort.
The introduction to the department and swearing in ceremony was planned on short notice, because Peterson wanted to get started away, according to Guenther. The commissioners only met with him the night before.
Ruth Peterson, his wife of 29 years, said she wasn’t entirely surprised her husband came out of retirement after just three years.
Firefighting is his passion, she said.
“He became a volunteer before he was even old enough to drive a car,” she said. “His parents would drive him to car accidents on Highway 18.”
He would go on emergency medical calls, and then head off to school, she said.
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