June 06--BURLEY -- Burley Mayor Terry Greenman appointed firefighter Shannon Tolman as the new city fire chief Tuesday.
The City Council is expected to ratify the appointment at its June 18 meeting.
"It has been really busy," Tolman said Wednesday on his first day wearing the chief's hat. "They threw me right into the budget process."
Tolman will oversee nine full-time firefighters and 25 volunteers. The department also has one full-time firefighter position open.
The new chief said he does not plan to change anything within the department "right off the bat."
"We're pretty busy right now with everything that's going on here," Tolman said. "But when we make changes, we'll go over everything as a team."
Tolman said he has the department's full support.
He has been with the Burley Fire Department since 2001, serving as a volunteer, full-time firefighter, lieutenant and captain, a city news release said. He is a Firefighter 3 and advanced emergency medical technician with many years of training and experience and now is completing an associate's degree in fire science, the release said.
Copyright 2013 - The Times-News, Twin Falls, Idaho
