Waite Park City Council Approves First Full-Time Fire Chief

WAITE PARK (WJON News) -- A new era is set to begin in Waite Park next month. The Waite Park City Council voted to approve the offer to Shawn Downs to become the first full-time Fire Department Chief for the City.

Downs will start on July 1st, pending his acceptance of the deal. The initial approval vote failed 2-3. Council member Frank Theisen wanted the $10,000 in moving expenses to be reimbursed if Downs chooses not to live in Waite Park after 1 year's time.

Downs holds a Doctor of Business Administration and an MBA.

The second vote with the moving stipulation passed unanimously. Mayor Ken Schmitt says they expect Downs to hit the town running:

"Well, number one to get settled in. The biggest thing is we need to get more volunteers, so hopefully he can work on that in the next year, bring in more people to help us out."

Schmitt says they are excited for Downs to join the city:

"It's always great when things come together, and we had a lot of great candidates, and I think we picked the best one."

He says the council made the correct choice with Downs. Downs is coming from the state of Maryland, where he has 28 years of experience as a volunteer and professional firefighter. He has also served as Fire Chief with Bay District and Deputy Fire Chief with the District of Columbia.

READ MORE:  Waite Park Prepares To Hire Its First Full-time Fire Chief

The council also approved some fire department title changes with Downs approval.  Current part-time Fire Chief Jim Aleshire's title will be changed to 1st Assistant Chief, and current Assistant Chief Jason Urzi 's title will be updated to 2nd Assistant Chief. The title changes are to provide a smoother transition for Downs as the full-time chief.

Get our free mobile app

READ MORE FROM AUTHOR PAUL HABSTRITT