New Chubbuck fire chief ‘excited to see where the future leads’
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CHUBBUCK — The city of Chubbuck officially has a new fire chief.
“I’m really excited and very humbled to be chosen as the chief of the Chubbuck Fire Department, and I’m very excited to see where the future leads,” Chas Clark told EastIdahoNews.com.
Mayor Rodney Burch officially appointed Clark, a driver and operator for the fire department, as the new chief during Wednesday’s city council meeting. The appointment took effect immediately, and Clark said he is looking forward to his new role.
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Before becoming a firefighter, Clark worked as a heavy diesel mechanic, gaining experience with heavy equipment. In 2002, he began training as a paid on-call firefighter for the Chubbuck Fire Department, a role in which he received pay while training and was then called in during emergencies.
In 2008, Clark was brought on as the department’s first full-time driver/operator. Then in 2013, he became a step-up officer for the department, filling in as captain and battalion chief while those officers were gone.
Clark said he was initially drawn to firefighting because of the excitement the job offered, but he didn’t expect that he would find a second family. Firefighters work 48-hour shifts and learn to live with each other when they’re not out serving the community.
“You gain a second family because you live with them,” Clark explained. “We’re there for two days with each other, so you really get to know and interact and be part of another family when you get a position in a fire department.”
That camaraderie extends to their actual families as well, with everyone becoming like one big extended family.
“You have your kids invited for their (children’s) birthdays. … And then you interact with what they’ve got going on. Pretty soon, you’re at their graduations,” Clark said.
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As a driver/operator for the department, Clark was responsible for not just driving to the scene of an emergency, but also operating the pump panel, controlling what direction the water goes and which hose it goes to.
The mayor called Clark’s career with the department “exemplary,” and told EastIdahoNews.com he has full confidence in him.
“The selection committee all saw the tremendous value that he brings to not only his department, but the entire city,” Burch said.
Clark was chosen to replace Chief Merlin Miller, who retired after a 45-year career with the department.