Bryan Jack, a Monument native and former Pike Interagency Hotshot crew member, has been appointed chief of the Black Forest Fire Department.
Jack was a finalist for the position with acting Chief Jim Rebitski and Scott Van Boerum, a former contractor hired by the federal government to build the Afghan fire service.
For a few local residents, Rebitski seemed to be the clear choice since he knew the community and had seen it through the fire.
Nonetheless, the fire board seemed to be looking for "new blood," the residents said. Rebitski will remain as the deputy chief.
"Jim Rebitski, you've done one hell of a job for Black Forest Fire," said board member Bill Marchant, adding that the decision was among the hardest he has had to make as a board member.
The three candidates spent the past two days practicing scenarios conducted by outside fire experts. On Wednesday night, each sat in front of the six-person board to answer five questions about leadership and public education of fire hazards.
In 1995, as a high school senior, Jack was hired on the Pike Interagency Hotshot crew, an elite team of firefighters run by the U.S. Forest Service.
He served one season on a local heli-attack crew, then was hired by the Tri-Lakes Fire Protection District in 2001.
He fought the Waldo Canyon and Black Forest fires and worked one of the first shifts the day the Black Forest fire ignited.
Jack described himself as a "servant leader," whose role as chief will be to meet with as many firefighters and community members as he can. He also spoke about Black Forest as a community still in recovery that has much work to do in the process.
"I don't think we're at the fully recovered state yet," he said.
Jack's salary has yet to be negotiated, board members said. The board plans to discuss the terms of his contract at the Dec. 30 meeting and hopes to have Jack officially on the payroll by Jan. 5, Jack said.
The search for a new chief began not long after former Chief Bob Harvey resigned after a prolonged sick leave this summer. Harvey led the department during the devastating Black Forest fire of 2013, which burned 15,000 acres and incinerated 488 homes and killed two people.
The fire is believed to be human caused, but the trigger remains a mystery.
Harvey became the subject of controversy when El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa accused him of bungling the response to the massive blaze when it ignited on a scorching early June day.
An outside investigation declared Harvey was not at fault.
Harvey reportedly stopped communicating with the board weeks before he resigned and said that he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
The fire appears to have piqued local interest in the department's leadership.
In May 2013, only 93 residents voted for the new fire board - the only elected positions, outside of county commissioners, for Black Forest.
But in May, nearly one year after the fire, 2,300 residents cast votes for the new board.
Contact Ryan Maye Handy: 636-0198
Twitter @ryanmhandy
