Menlo Fire Chief Paul Wilson to leave district this fall Menlo Fire Chief Paul Wilson to leave district this fall (July 06, 2005)

By Renee Batti

Almanac News Editor

After about two and one-half years on the job, Fire Chief Paul Wilson has announced he will be leaving the Menlo Park Fire Protection District in the fall to move back to Arizona to be closer to family members.

Both Chief Wilson and fire district board President Bart Spencer said the decision was made by Mr. Wilson alone, and that he was not asked by the board to resign. His contract is set to expire November 3.

"We're very appreciative for the contributions he made during his time here," said Mr. Spencer. "I understand and I commend him for his attention to his family."

Del Krause, who as the longest-serving member of the board has seen a number of fire chiefs come and go, said, "I'm very sad that he's leaving because I think he's going to be very difficult to replace."

Chief Wilson, 51, moved to the area from Mesa, Arizona, with his wife, Pam, in late 2002, signing a three-year contract with the fire district. He said they are eager to return to the area, where both his parents and his wife's, as well as their two children, still live.

Mr. Spencer said the board appointed a subcommittee -- himself and John Osmer -- at its June 21 meeting to determine a strategy for finding a new chief. He said the subcommittee will "determine what we'll look for in a chief," and explore the option of appointing someone already employed by the district, which serves Menlo Park, Atherton, East Palo Alto and nearby unincorporated areas.

If the board decides to look within the district, it will have at least one eager applicant. Randy Shurson, who as deputy fire chief is the district's second in command, said last week he is definitely interested in the job.
Financial stability

Chief Wilson's tenure followed that of Miles Julihn, who held the position from November 1998 until early 2002, when he retired; and Acting Chief Ed Greene.

Hired at an annual salary of $150,000, Chief Wilson has been given increases of $10,000 each year, reaching $170,000 in December.

During the past three years, the fire district has had to struggle with what all taxpayer-funded agencies in the state have faced: declining funding from the state and growing employee costs that have left cities and special districts scrambling for ways to balance their budgets.

Fire district officials give the departing chief high marks for his financial management, noting that he was able to provide fiscal stability during difficult economic times.

Although fire districts, unlike cities and counties, don't have to balance their budgets each fiscal year, the fire district was never in the red during Chief Wilson's tenure. Deputy Chief Shurson said that during his 31 years with the district, that hasn't always been the case.

"We've even come in under budget," he said.
Accomplishments

Since Chief Wilson's arrival, the fire district has stepped up strategic planning, particularly in reviewing the effectiveness of fire station locations. Options for relocating some stations have emerged from a "standards of coverage" study Chief Wilson initiated; the study is still being reviewed by the board.

Chief Wilson points to a number of other changes he brought to the district, including development of the "CERT" program, which trains community volunteers to respond effectively to public emergencies; and programs that helped increase the number of smoke detectors and fire sprinklers in homes, portable defibrillators in public buildings, and high-tech equipment on fire trucks to improve safety for firefighters and the public.

Mr. Spencer noted that fire inspections in the community "have grown and improved" under Chief Wilson's leadership, and Mr. Krause praised the chief for launching an effective employee evaluation program.

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