Fire District #1: Terms are four years, there is no
term limit for service on this three-member Board of
Directors. Salary and benefits are not offered. The
election is non-partisan, voted on only by residents of the District,
which is mainly from Rock River south to the Colorado border, and east
and west to the county line, but not including the City of Laramie. Two
of the three Directors resigned at mid-term, so there are two terms of
two years each that will be elected to finish out those terms, but only
one person filed, Kenneth U. Brown. Therefore
the winner of the write-in ballots will become the second two-year term
Director.
The third Director is not running again now that his
term is up (Clint Summerfield) and one person filed for this term, Carl
Bloomberg.
Biographical Information:
Kenneth U. Brown (2 year term): I
have been a resident of Albany County and fire district one for 50
years. My
wife Lillie and I have lived in the Harmony community for the past 11
years. I am a
member of the Big Laramie Fire Dept. and a board member of fire
district one.
Carl Bloomberg (4 year term):
After graduating from the University of Minnesota, I spent my
professional career in leadership positions in the corporate world. I
have experience in researching problems, listening to input and then
arriving at decisions. I moved to Centennial in 1998 and joined the
Centennial Valley Volunteer Fire Department the following year. I was
appointed to the ACFD board in October 2005 and have worked with the
board to obtain the necessary liability and comprehensive insurance for
the rural fire departments which was a major problem in the past.
What are your priorities
for Fire District #1?
Kenneth U. Brown (2 year term): My
priorities are to keep the fire district financially stable and to help
the individual fire departments in maintaining their equipment and
ability to fight fires in the district.
Carl Bloomberg (4 year term): My
first priority is the safety of rural fire fighters due to the risks
they face on every call. This should be accomplished by training,
assisting in providing proper equipment, and maintenance of equipment.
The second priority is protection of life and property in the rural
community through effective fire suppression. The third priority is
efficient use of tax
monies to improve the
department’s ability to meet the needs of the rural
community.
What training is
required for rural fire district volunteers? What
changes would you make?
Kenneth U. Brown (2 year term): There is no set
requirement for volunteers.
I would like to establish local red card training for
all volunteers.
Carl Bloomberg (4 year term): Wildfire
training is needed by all departments as this is the most common call.
The departments with capability for structure fire fighting should
receive the appropriate training for personnel safety and efficient
fire fighting. The Laramie Fire Department has been effective in
providing training which develops teamwork with the participating
departments and should continue.