Comments on: Sedona Fire District Board Acts on Fire Chief Selection

By: sedona old timer

sedona old timer — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:13:30 +0000

Does anyone else think it “strange” that Joe Demme has been chairman of the audit committee which hired a company out of Illinois that employees his wife, and also the chairman of the Fire Chief Search Committee which has recommended hiring a candidate also from Illinois. Joe Demme has an export company out of Barrington, Illinois part of which is in Lake County which is served by the Countryside Fire Protection District. The candidate who is being offered a contract to be the new chief currently works for the Countryside Fire Protection District! His name is Kris Kazian and you can go to the Countryside fire district to see his qualifications. Is this coincidence, or an example of Joe Demme’s attempt to run the Fire Board and the Fire District from behind the scenes. Was this candidate given special consideration because of a connection with Demme, did Demme convince the other committee members of this man’s “special” qualities, did Demme reveal that he is from that area and may be prejudiced in his favor?

By: Carl, SFD voter

Carl, SFD voter — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:24:32 +0000

who in the hell decided this guy was more qualified than Chief Keller????? dump those cretins off the board. my blood is boiling knowing that this new guy isn’t one half as qualified as Keller. the new board should fire him and reinstate Keller when it takes office. nothing personal to the new guy but he’s out of his element and doesn’t have one qualifier above the acting chief. out of embarrassment he should not take the job.

Boiling mad SFD district voter

By: Don

Don — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:07:02 +0000

Kazian will be the new SFD chief. He accepted even though Blauert and Demme aren’t saying so. He has a Fire Science Management Degree from Southern Illinois University. He’s worked 20 years in the same district.
Where is his PhD? Is he fluent in Spanish? How many mountains and desert fires has he supervised?

Perfect fit for the new board members? Not so good for the community and staff? Kudos to Karen for jumping ship.

By: Karen Strauch

Karen Strauch — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:09:55 +0000

Dear Friends and Residents of the Sedona Fire District,

The verifiably well-trained EMS, Fire and all hazard professionals of the Sedona Fire District are OUR first line of defense in a medical emergency or a fire. They have faithfully served this community for many years. Our firefighters place their lives on the line for our lives and our safety. Now this is threatened because their future is threatened. We deserve a Fire Board that is ethical, complies with Open Meeting Law, and supports the firefighters efforts. We need your help.

Thank you for caring,

Karen Strauch
928-282-6666

By: Concerned Senior Citizens

Concerned Senior Citizens — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:49:23 +0000

Dear Sedona Fire District taxpayers,

One of the main reasons why my wife and I moved to Sedona about 10 years ago was the excellent medical care provided by the local medical facilities, in particular the well trained and efficient firefighter/paramedics. Being in poor health, for us that was, and still is, a very important factor… because our very lives depend on it.

I have heard rumors that the present majority of the SFD board is considering cutting back on staffing , reintroducing the idea of private ambulance service and reverting back to a volunteer fire department…all that to save me $250 a year!!! Are you guys serious?

Cutting back on fire personnel, means shutting down some stations because of a lack of minimal staffing on the rigs. That translates into a longer response time to “911” calls, specially the ones coming from the VOC and the Chapel area. That means, that some of us seniors are not going to be around to be saved.

Do you fully realize what the majority of this board is trying to do to us?

In addition, if we were to revert to a volunteer fire department and a privatized ambulance service, we would loose the excellent, professional paramedic/EMT services that we are currently receiving. Do you want someone without the proper training and credentials to try to save your life? Has anyone given any thought to that?

I urge other seniors within the Sedona Fire District to become more involved by coming to board meetings…and if you can’t, read the minutes and watch the videos to find out what’s being done to your fire department. In addition, go to http://www.sfdrecall.com/sfdrecall/__Home_Page.html

Once you do that, you will agree that replacing the recalled members of the SFD board at the upcoming special election on May 15, 2012 (early ballots begin going out April 19) is the only alternative left for us seniors living in this area.

Don’t forget… your lives depend on it!
Concerned Senior Citizens
Sedona, AZ

By: Wendy Tanzer

Wendy Tanzer — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:10:26 +0000

I couldn’t agree more. Please take a moment to view the website http://www.sfdrecall.com The recall election ballots will be mailed during the week of April 23rd. VOTE to replace this disgraceful lot and restore safety AND sanity to our fire district! Remind everyone you know to VOTE!!! VOTE!!! VOTE!!! for Corrie Cooperman, Diane Schoen and Nazih Hazime! Thank you for your support.

By: Dana Cavanaugh

Dana Cavanaugh — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:44:13 +0000

Dana Cavanaugh via Facebook: I find it hard to believe this is still an ongoing issue. The board is a disgrace to our community.