Ten years ago this month, the Hoodland Fire District’s (HFD) board of directors named Mic Eby (serving as the acting fire chief) the district’s fire chief, shortly after three members survived a recall vote. This December will be Eby’s last month on the job, after he agreed to a request by the current board to retire.

“It’s a good thing,” Eby told The Mountain Times, noting that there is an
opportunity now for the current board, which four out of five members were
not on the board when Eby was hired, to hire a chief. “They need to build their
own chief. They need somebody who they can call their own.”

Eby, whose contract expires in June 2017 and had discussed retiring at that
time, noted that when he took the job in 2006 the district was at a
controversial time, with disputes between staff and volunteers.

“We had some pretty bad times together,” said Eby, 66, who has served the
district for more than 30 years.

He added that the board at the time came up with a list of goals to bring
stability to the district and reestablish it as a good part of the community.
“I believe I have accomplished it,” Eby said.

Eby noted that his vision included building the district up from the inside, with
improved training and better equipment, but to also not go to the community
and ask for a tax increase. And he credited the support from his staff as a big
reason to his successes.

“It really made my job a whole lot easier,” Eby said. “I had people around me
that made me look good.”

Cliff Fortune, chair of the board and the lone member who was on the board
when Eby was hired, described Eby as a “strong leader in the community,”
always attending meetings and functions as the “face of the department” and
credited him for bringing the district back from the deep divisions and getting
people on the same page.

“I wish Mic all the best in retirement; I think he’s done a fantastic job,”
Fortune said. “He’s got a lot of respect throughout Oregon fire service.”
Fortune noted that no action was taken to start the process for finding a new
chief at the November board meeting and the board is likely going to address
it at the December meeting. He added that Deputy Chief John Ingrao could
take over as the chief on Jan. 1, 2017.

“He’d be the logical choice,” Fortune said.

The new chief will have a number of issues to deal with, including a potential
rebuild of the main fire station in Welches, renovating the Government Camp
fire station and a push to add 24-hour coverage (a new staff member is
expected to be hired by January to help provide that coverage).

“The new chief’s going to have his hands full,” Eby said.

Eby added that while he doesn’t know what he’s going to do in retirement, he
intends to continue his service with the district as a volunteer at the
Brightwood station. And after years of covering shifts during holidays, he
plans on doing something he hasn’t done in nearly 20 years - spend Christmas
with his wife.

“I’ve missed a lot by being fire chief,” Eby said. “I take responsibility very
serious. There’s fantastic people out there and they deserve the best.”