By Katherine Ullmer
Dayton Daily News (Ohio)
Copyright 2006 Dayton Newspapers, Inc.
WASHINGTON TWP., Montgomery County - After 35 years with the Washington Twp. Fire Department, Fire Chief Ken Parks has announced plans to retire in June.
He made the announcement at the Dec. 4 Washington Twp. trustee meeting. His retirement won’t be effective until June 29.
Between now and then, Parks hopes to see the department accredited, said Washington Twp. administrator Gary Huff, who praised Parks’ long career with the township.
“He’s provided an enormous amount of talent to our fire department, especially in the EMS area,” Huff said. “He is one of the first EMTs we had. He started in the volunteer ranks and worked his way up.”
Huff said Parks became chief in 1997.
The township trustees were to adopt the fire department’s strategic plan and staff plan Dec. 18. The plans are the last two parts needed for the fire department’s national accreditation by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International, Huff said.
“He knew he’d accomplished that,” he said.
The CFAI, in seeking to improve fire service across the country, grants accreditation to fire and emergency service agencies after successful completion of an in-depth self-assessment and on-site evaluation.
Only four fire departments in Ohio have the national accreditation.
“It proves we have an excellent department,” Huff said.
To be accredited you have to have policies and procedures in place and documented showing how you respond to various emergencies, he said.
“It’s taken us almost two years to put together documentation for the accreditation,” he said.
The fire department serves 30 square miles and a population of 53,000 people, Huff said.
It has five fire stations, manned by about 100 volunteers, and 40 part-time and 30 full-time employees.
The search for a new fire chief will probably begin after the first of the year, Huff said.