“Meet and Greet” Scheduled for Monday, September 16

Lebanon, Ore. – After nearly 37 years in the fire service, Lebanon Fire District Chief Gordon Sletmoe retired on May 1, 2019. However, he agreed to stay on board to shepherd two projects: a bond to replace the main fire station and apparatus and…to help find his successor.

More information about the bond can be found on the fire district’s website www.lebanonfire.org. In the meantime, the community is invited to attend a reception to meet the six finalist candidates for the Fire Chief position. The event will take place on Monday, September 16 from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM at the main fire station, 1050 W. Oak Street in Lebanon.

“I am finishing my career in Lebanon with a sense of fulfilment,” said Chief Sletmoe. “The members we have are committed to our community, and we want a new fire chief who feels that same connection. I encourage our community to attend the reception and interact with candidates to find a perfect fit.”

Twenty-four candidates applied for the job and six finalists will be at the reception on September 16. The following day, they will be interviewed by members of the District, members of the community, and the Board of Directors who will make a decision soon after. Here’s a list of the finalists who you will meet at the reception:

Robert Bertram has more than 25 years of continuous fire service experience and education, including 13 years of leadership experience. He has been the Fire Chief for the Chaffee County Fire Protection District in Colorado since 2013. Prior to that, he was Fire Chief for the Hudson Fire Protection District and he was also Fire Chief for Florissant Fire Rescue, both in Colorado. Mr. Bertram also has several years of volunteer experience with a number of agencies in Colorado, including serving as volunteer firefighter, wildland firefighter, Lieutenant and Deputy Chief. He has associate degrees in Fire Service Management and Fire Science, both from Pikes Peak Community College, and a bachelor’s degree in Fire & Emergency Services Administration from Colorado State University.

Brynne Burrough has been a fire service professional for over 30 years and has been a Chief Officer for the last 18 years. He has been with the Department of Defense since 1990 and is currently Regional Deputy Fire Chief for Marine Corps Installation Pacific Command Fire & Emergency Services in Okinawa, Japan. He has also been Fire Chief for Naval Support Activity in Bahrain, Assistant Fire Chief/Operations at both the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina and Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Mr. Burrough has an associate degree in Fire Science, a bachelor's degree in Public Safety Administration and a master's degree in Executive Leadership, both from Grand Canyon University, and he is a graduate of the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer Program.

Bryan Crump has served the West Jordan Fire Department in Utah since 1999 where he started out a firefighter. He progressed to Fire Investigator in 2001 and was promoted to Captain in 2005. He has been a Battalion Chief since 2013 and has also served as Acting Deputy Fire Chief. Early in his career, he was an Engineer/Fire Investigator/Firefighter for South Jordan Fire Department in Utah. Mr. Crump has an associate degree in Fire Science from Utah Valley State College, an associate degree in Behavioral Sciences and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, both from Utah Valley University, a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University, and he is a graduate of the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer Program.

James Dickerson has been the Division Chief of Operations for Siuslaw Valley Fire & Rescue in Oregon since 2016. Prior to that, he was Division Chief of Training/Operations for the Netarts-Oceanside Fire District in Oregon from 2009-2016. In Iowa, he was a Master Firefighter for the City of Ames Fire Department for five years, a paid-on-call Firefighter/EMT for the City of Urbandale, and early in his career, he was a volunteer firefighter for the City of Newton Fire Department. Mr. Dickerson has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Law, Politics and Society from Drake University in Iowa, he has done coursework in Fire Science at Kirkwood Community College in Iowa, and he is currently working toward the Executive Fire Officer Program certificate from the National Fire Academy.

Michael Kinkade has served as Fire Chief since 2008 for two city fire departments and three rural fire districts in Oregon, concurrently – Forest Grove Fire & Rescue, Cornelius Fire Department, Gaston Rural Fire Protection District, Forest Grove RFPD and Cornelius RFPD. Prior to that, he was a Division Chief for the Lebanon Fire District in Oregon. Mr. Kinkade was also a Division Chief for the City of Corvallis, Oregon, Fire Department for 12 years, and in California, he was a Division Captain for the City of Salinas Fire Department, and a Firefighter for the City of Carlsbad Fire Department. He has an associate degree from Linn Benton Community College, a bachelor’s degree in Management from George Fox University, and he is a graduate of the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer Program.

Joseph Rodondi has over 30 years of fire service experience. He was with the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department in California from 1997-2015, beginning as a Firefighter/Paramedic and progressing through the ranks as Fire Engineer, Captain, Battalion Chief, and finally Deputy Fire Chief from 2010-2015, when he retired as Deputy Fire Chief/Acting Fire Chief. Prior to serving the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department, he was with the San Bruno, California, Fire Department from 1985-1997, where he was a Firefighter/Acting Fire Captain and Fire Mechanic. Mr. Rodondi has an Associate of Science degree in Fire Science from the College of San Mateo in California, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix.