Fire district interviews two chief candidates

Cloquet Area Fire District board members interviewed two finalists Tuesday for the fire chief position that will open up when Kevin Schroeder retires in June.

It won't be easy, as evidenced by board member Bob DeCaigney's comment during the board's post-interview discussion that, according to the job description and duties, what they are really looking for is "Superman."

A CAFD press release detailed the process so far: The search for a replacement began in late 2019, and the board hired Baker Tilly to conduct the search for the next fire chief/CEO. Fifteen people applied after extensive regional and statewide outreach, according to Schroeder. All were evaluated on their background in fire services and/or emergency medical services and their experience in managing an organization, working closely with a governing board, building relationships with stakeholders, and working on state legislative issues.

On Tuesday, the board interviewed Richard "Shannon" Draper and Corey Larson.

Larson is known locally, as he already serves as the CAFD training administrator and is the EMS service director for the Superior Fire Department. He has been employed with the Superior Fire Department since 2013, serving in various roles including firefighter and EMS educator. Larson also works as program coordinator at Lake Superior College. Previously, he has served as a paramedic, field training officer and EMS educator for Gold Cross and an education specialist and operations manager for Lake County Ambulance.

Draper's most recent position was in Red Wing, Minnesota, where he was fire chief for a little over three years. Prior to that, he served as fire chief in Vermillion, South Dakota.

His previous work experience includes serving as a chief officer for Kellogg Brown & Root, responsible for establishing new fire stations in Hungary, Kosovo and Macedonia. He was also employed in Grandview, Missouri as a captain, engineer and firefighter and served as a volunteer firefighter and EMT for the Upper Black Eddy Fire Department in Pennsylvania.

According to previous newspaper articles in the Rochester and Red Wing papers, Draper left Red Wing after signing a resignation agreement. His departure came after a year that included a two-week unpaid suspension last summer for offensive behavior at a staff meeting - after he learned about a personnel complaint - and a vote of no confidence passed by members of the firefighters union in Red Wing that spring.

In his interview with the CAFD board Tuesday, Draper said he turned himself in to the city's HR department after dropping an F-bomb in the meeting. He doesn't normally swear, he told the board, but he let an employee get under his skin. Board members were already familiar with the issue, and had read the investigator's report that outlined what happened after Draper shared it with them.

Board chairman Jim Langenbrunner said the allegations against Draper were unfounded, and compared it to the situation with former Cloquet police chief Steve Stracek, who eventually agreed to retire even after a lengthy investigation found the police union complaints were unfounded.

Schroeder said the fire district did due diligence, and had looked at the investigative report and reached out to former employers and coworkers.

"There are two sides to every story. When you're dealing with a public employee, much of the information is protected by data privacy laws so very little of the actual story makes it to the press," Schroeder said, acknowledging that the individual who is the subject of the report can choose whom to release it to. But the city can't release it, he stressed.

In terms of educational background, the two candidates are both highly qualified.

Draper holds a bachelor of science degree in fire administration from Columbia Southern University and is currently working on a master of public administration degree, which he expects to complete in 2021.

Larson holds a bachelor's degree in health care administration and EMS management from Columbia Southern University and is currently working on a master's degree in emergency services management, which he expects to complete in 2021.

Both candidates also met with a small group of fire district staff for interviews Tuesday, and the results of those interviews were supposed to be to the board by Thursday. Board members expect to have a decision at the April 15 board meeting.

"We fully understand that selecting a candidate to be our district fire chief/CEO must be a good fit for both our organization and the candidate," said Langenbrunner, longtime Cloquet fire chief and CAFD chief before Schroeder. "We do not take this decision lightly."

If either applicant is hired, Schroeder said the board is hoping that he can work with the new fire chief for at least four to six weeks.

Made up of the member communities of Cloquet, Scanlon, Perch Lake and Brevator, CAFD also provides structural fire protection under contract to the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The total area covered by the fire district including the Reservation spans 170 square miles. CAFD also provides ambulance service to a state-mandated area of more than 250 square miles in Carlton County and southern St. Louis County. CAFD was the first fire district in the state, and has been a leader since its inception in 2009.