LAKEPORT — The Lakeport Fire Protection District announced in a recent meeting of its board of directors that former Kelseyville Fire Captain Kenneth Wells will be Lakeport”s new fire chief.
Former Chief Al Moorhead said his retirement became official Dec. 31, and that Wells will reports to the Lakeport fire station on Monday.
Wells” official swearing-in ceremony will take place at the Lakeport fire station on downtown Lakeport”s Main Street at 6 p.m. Tuesday night.
After being offered the position in the board of directors” Dec. 12 meeting, Wells had to complete a physical exam, a second oral interview, and a psychological test, which Moorhead said he passed with flying colors on Thursday.
Moorhead sat among stacks of papers he was cleaning out of his desk on Thursday to make room for the new chief and recounted that he started out as a volunteer with the Lakeport Fire Department in 1959, when the only paid position was that of the fire chief. He served 47 and a half years, only 10 of those in a paid position.
When asked if he felt confident handing over the reigns to Ken Wells, Moorhead replied with an emphatic, “Oh, yes.”
“He”s familiar with the department; he knows everybody here,” said Moorhead. Wells has worked with Lakeport”s fire response teams over the last four years as a part-time paramedic.
Wells served a total of 36 years in the Kelseyville Fire Protection District, 26 of those in a paid position as captain. He explained that he recently completed fire marshal chief officer training provided by the state, a series of 10 core classes along with prerequisites needed to receive certification. Wells noted that while the training is not required for the fire chief position, “it definitely prepared me for it.”
Although his parents are now retired and living in Texas, he said, they brought him to Lake County as a small child in 1962. Wells now lives in Kelseyville with his wife Lydia.
Along with his experience, Wells brings new vision and energy to Lakeport. “I”m coming to the department with a lot of goals and visions for the department, and I”m going to implement them over a period of time,” said Wells on Thursday.
Wells” top priorities include adding five paid personnel to Lakeport”s existing 10, restructuring the chain of command and building a new fire station in Lakeport.
Wells explained that a standard shift for a paid firefighter is 48 hours, or two days on and 96 hours, or four days off. The shifts rotate in order to provide ?round-the-clock, quick response, he said. During the 48-hour “on” period, a firefighter lives at the station.
The current firehouse in downtown Lakeport provides “cramped quarters” for firefighters, said Wells; the new structure would allow for staff growth over the next 20 to 30 years.
Also a point of concern is that the downtown Lakeport property which the current firehouse occupies does not belong to the Lakeport Fire Protection District, but to the City of Lakeport. Wells said the district is in negotiations with the city to buy property for the purpose of constructing the new fire station.
Wells comes from a family that has been involved in public service. His father served as a volunteer firefighter in Kelseyville for many years, he said, and served on its board of directors. His brother is a retired Lakeport police officer who now works part-time in the Lake County Sheriff”s boat patrol. He also has two nephews, one a deputy sheriff and volunteer firefighter, the other a volunteer firefighter in Lakeport.
In his spare time, he enjoys riding his motorcycle, camping and fishing with his two grandchildren, and doing “all the grandparent things,” said Wells.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
