San Juan County fire chief retires; deputy chief of ops promoted to top position

FARMINGTON — While he’s excited about the idea of leading a department for the first time in his career, David Vega — San Juan County’s new fire chief — also knows he will face a lot of challenges.

Vega was introduced as the chief during the San Juan County Commission meeting on Jan. 31 as John Mohler, the chief for the last four years, retired. According to a news release issued by the county, Vega was selected from a pool of six applicants from across the country.

Vega said wearing the chief’s helmet is something he never thought he’d have the opportunity to do when he began his career as a volunteer firefighter in the Pagosa (Colorado) Fire Protection District in 1996.

“The honest answer is no,” he said. “I have always pictured myself as a firefighter, and I never had aspirations as chief.”

But most young firefighters enjoy taking on a challenge, he said, and after some time passes, the idea of taking on more responsibility as a lieutenant or captain is appealing. From there, it’s an even more natural progression to become a battalion chief, he said, a move that can lead to a job as chief or deputy chief.

“David brings a wealth of fire service experience and a proven track record of success,” County Manager Mike Stark stated in the news release announcing Vega’s hiring. “The citizens of San Juan County will benefit from his leadership and passion to serve.”

Vega has been part of San Juan County Fire & Rescue since 2011, the last four years as deputy chief. He has inherited a department that relies heavily on volunteers to help protect the 5,500 square miles that make up the county and handle the nearly 10,000 calls it receives each year.

When he joined the department in 2011, Vega said, it had approximately 300 volunteers. Now, that number stands at 180 — a low for recent memory, he said.

“Unfortunately, our calls have increased every year, and that’s putting more demand on our volunteers and increasing their strain,” he said.

The department has responded by mounting an aggressive marketing campaign to attract new volunteers, and Vega said he hopes that effort bears fruit soon.

“We try to be active and let the community know we’re looking for good folks out there,” he said.

But it’s an uphill battle keeping his manpower up, Vega said, explaining that, just a day earlier, he had seen a story about how the Phoenix Fire Department was 50 firefighters short of its recommended number.

An all-around tight labor market makes it even harder to fill volunteer positions, he said, citing the fact that the want ads seem to be filled these days with companies offering $18 to $20 an hour for entry-level employees.

“How do we compete against that?” he asked rhetorically.

The agency faces other challenges, as well, including the same concerns about inflation that most citizens have.

“A fire truck that cost $500,000 before can now cost $800,000,” he said, explaining that when costs rise that significantly in a short period of time, the department’s capital replacement plan has to be redone.

Finally, a 20-year megadrought across the Southwest has left much of the landscape in a position in which fire season — historically, a three- or four-month period of higher temperatures, sustained winds and dry vegetation — has been greatly extended, Vega said.

“Fire season is a yearlong phenomenon anymore,” he said, adding that wildland fires already have started burning in the southern part of the state and that even San Juan County experienced a few small wildland blazes recently.

“Unless there’s snow on the ground, there’s always the threat of wildland fire,” he said.

Government and economic development officials across San Juan County have made an effort in recent years to build the area’s outdoor recreation economy, and Vega said he understands the need to widen the county’s economic base. But increased human activity in remote areas brings with it an increased likelihood of wildland fires being started, he said.

That presents an additional challenge to his department, Vega said.

“There’s no doubt we’re stretched to our limit in San Juan County,” he said, adding that many other fire departments across the country are in the same position.

Vega’s predecessor as chief, Mohler, may be retiring from firefighting, but he plans to begin a new job in the middle of February. Superintendent Kim Mizell of the Bloomfield School District said Mohler has been hired as the district’s operations manager.

Mizell said Mohler was a good choice based on his background as a longtime Bloomfield resident and his management experience.

“We’re glad to have him come on board,” she said.

Stark bid a fond farewell to Mohler during the Jan. 31 council meeting.

“It would be an understatement to say we’re absolutely going to miss his talents and leadership and dedication to the citizens of San Juan County,” Stark said.

Mohler had spent 28 years in the firefighting field and served as chief for the last four years.

“We’ve been better off for it as an organization and a county as a whole,” Stark said of Mohler’s service.

Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 or measterling@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription: http://bit.ly/2I6TU0e.

This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: New chief David Vega began his career as volunteer firefighter in 1996