Crook County Fire and Rescue is happy to announce that Dan Drayton has been hired as its newest shift Battalion Chief. Dan has previously served with Redmond Fire for the past 16 years. He brings with him a wealth of experience and training both in fire and EMS.
For Crook County Fire and Rescue, the addition of a new shift Battalion Chief is the next step in the process of changing its staffing deployment model. This change is allowing for an increased staffing level at all of the District’s three stations. The Fire District recently finalized a new collective bargaining agreement with its labor union that took effect July 1st. The new contract agreement re-organized some positions within the bargaining unit. With the re-organization the District is now deploying personnel differently. When the re-organization is complete there will be a Lieutenant/Paramedic assigned to oversee each of the District’s three stations 24 hours a day. The Lieutenants will be paired with volunteers and paid on call employees in Juniper Canyon and Powell Butte. At the Prineville station the Lieutenant will be partnered with 3 career firefighter paramedics along with volunteers and paid on call members. A 24 hour shift Battalion Chief will oversee and assist in managing the emergency responses within the District. Dan Drayton is the newest of the three shift Battalion Chiefs and fills a newly created vacancy. The new style of deployment started July 1st.
This increase in service level was made possible by a new funding mechanism that allocates money to the Fire District from the large companies in the Enterprise Zone. The funding mechanism is an agreement between the Fire District, City and County that allows a percentage of the yearly money from the Enterprise Zone to go towards improved fire protection. The agreement was finalized in May of this year.
The re-organization and deployment has improved station staffing and will mean shorter response times and a better chance of saving life and property in an emergency. Scheduled career staffing in all three District stations is a true mile stone and Battalion Chief Dan Drayton will be an integral part of the team that will provide the community with the improved service.
