This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A fire chief in metropolitan Medford, Ore., has been offered the job of chief of the Unified Fire Authority (UFA).
Dan Petersen, a 37-year firefighter who now is chief of Jackson County Fire District 3 in the southern Oregon community, was selected by the UFA board after a lengthy search to replace Michael Jensen, who had been chief for seven years.
Jensen, who also serves as an elected Salt Lake County councilman, resigned as fire chief in August amid an investigation into questionable financial practices in the department — including big executive bonuses and loosely regulated credit-card use — prompting an ongoing audit by the state auditor.
"Chief Petersen has the depth of experience we were really looking for," said Christopher Pengra, Eagle Mountain mayor and vice chairman of the UFA board. It consists of representatives from Salt Lake County and several cities that make up the regional fire district, which has nearly 600 employees and a budget of roughly $70 million.
The deal is not done, Pengra stressed. The UFA now will negotiate with Petersen, including terms of his compensation. An agreement will come back to the UFA board for ratification.
UFA serves more than 525,000 residents in Salt Lake and Utah counties. Its service area includes Cottonwood Heights, Draper, Eagle Mountain, Herriman, Holladay, Midvale, Riverton, Taylorsville and unincorporated portions of the county.
Besides his length of service, Pengra said the UFA board felt Petersen's experience in a regional fire district encompassing multiple municipalities would qualify him to deal with the UFA's complex service setup.
"He's a good solution for the long-term outlook of UFA. This is not a short-term fix," Pengra said. "He's someone we believe will lead us into the future. The UFA will likely have some challenges moving forward. But the depth of experience Chief Petersen brings to the table is the reason we made him an offer."
Petersen started as a volunteer firefighter in 1979. He spent nine years with Valley Fire Service in southern Oregon, rising from firefighter to engineer to captain.
Petersen then joined the Medford City Fire Department, where he spent 13 years as a battalion chief and deputy fire chief over administration, training and emergency services.
Since 2010, he has been the fire chief, CEO and budget officer at Fire District 3 in Jackson County. Petersen also has held positions in the Oregon Fire Chiefs Association, is a graduate of the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer program, and has academic degrees in fire science and fire administration.