Superior fire chief to retire

SUPERIOR – Beginning next month, the Superior Volunteer Fire Department will have a new fire chief after the current chief steps down after nine years serving the community.

SVFD Fire Chief John Woodland will retire next month from firefighting after nearly five decades in the business as a volunteer and then professionally in Superior. During his tenure as fire chief, Woodland saw the department move into new headquarters, acquire new technology to enhance the department’s capabilities, established new training regimens and saw the department face one of the biggest challenges of his career in the West Mullan Fire two years ago which threatened the town of Superior.

Woodland said there were a number of things he was proud to have accomplished during his time as fire chief but he stressed that he did not do it alone.

“I certainly had a lot of help,” Woodland said. “More than anything, we were able to change the number of people who are volunteering and showing up on calls. There are now two to three times as many as when I started. We were also able to change the level of training and confidence of those who do show up. The guys are much better trained and it’s a far more professional operation.”

Chief Woodland also said the enhanced level of training benefitted residents of Mineral County in a way many might not be aware of. Because SVFD members have achieved a specific level of training over the years, Mineral County residents could notice a reduction in their homeowner’s insurance premiums.

A company known as Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO) provides insurance companies with information regarding a community’s ability to protect itself from fire among other services.

This risk-management information is used by insurance companies to determine premiums and because the SVFD has achieved a certain level of training and expertise, Woodland said the community received a high ranking from ISO which typically results in lower premiums for homeowners.

“It’s a company that rates fire departments across the country,” Woodland said. “Insurance companies use that (information) as one of the factors in deciding how much to charge people for insurance. The insurance companies look at how well equipped the department is and how well trained they are. They also look at the dispatch system and water supply. We received an improved rating which should lower people’s insurance bills.”

According to Woodland, one of the experiences during his tenure as fire chief that stuck out most prominently in his mind was two years ago when he and his volunteers were first responders to an incident that threatened people and property in Superior and resulted in evacuations. The West Mullan Fire, according to Woodland, was one of the greatest tests faced by the Superior Volunteer Fire department.

“That was a big challenge,” Woodland said. “It was an incident on a scale that I had never faced before. That really sticks out for me as a huge learning experience. The size of the incident, the proximity to Superior and the steep terrain made it the largest incident I had ever handled.”

Woodland’s replacement as fire chief will be SVFD Assistant Fire Chief Rick Miller.

Woodland said he was confident he was leaving the community in good hands.

“Rick has worked hard for this,” Woodland said. “Rick certainly played a significant role in the improvements to the department and I’m confident that the department will continue to move forward.”

Woodland said he plans on still staying involved with the SVFD on some level.

He said he plans on spending his retirement enjoying the outdoors as well as staying on the hospital board where he serves as chair.

“I will miss the challenges that come with incident command,” Woodland said. “I will miss the people and directing an operation. I will miss working with the volunteers and the other agencies. I’m not gonna completely disappear. I will probably still come to trainings. It’s been an honor and a privilege. I really enjoyed the time. I like to think I left it better than I found it and I think the community will continue to be in very able hands with Rick Miller.”