Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One selects ex-Boise chief as new leader
Commissioners of Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One announced Wednesday that they have selected Dennis Doan, former fire chief of Boise, Idaho, as the department’s new chief.
The selection was announced in a virtual Board of Fire Commissioner’s special meeting Wednesday after a period of public comment and discussion in a closed executive session.
Doan, 52, will replace the outgoing chief, John Burgess, who will retire on April 1 after more than a decade in the position.
Doan left Boise’s department last March during a tumultuous week that saw him start out on administrative leave and finish by resigning just minutes before the Boise City Council was to vote on whether to fire him.
In the Gig Harbor meeting, President Jacob Flick of IAFF Local 3390 announced that the union was throwing their support behind Doan and endorsing him as their preferred candidate.
“We enjoy what he has to offer,” Flick said during the meeting. “He has previous experience as a fire chief in a major department in Idaho that I think should lend to his progressive experience that can lead our organization here in Gig Harbor to the next level.”
All of the public comments were unanimous in voicing support for Doan.
The three candidates being considered were interviewed last week. Two of them, Dan Bjurstrom and Todd Meyer, were Gig Harbor assistant chiefs.
It’s still not clear why Doan was put on administrative leave in Boise, and city officials aren’t saying. Idaho’s public records law specifically says that personnel files are not public information, meaning they cannot be released without that employee’s permission.
Doan declined multiple requests for an interview until after the selection process by the department, though he had responded by email to some questions about his prior experience.
In an email, Doan said attempts to fire him were “political” decisions. He also offered to make public his personnel file from his time in Boise but has yet to do so. He was enroute from Idaho this weekend and unavailable to comment on his selection,
According to his resumé, Doan was with the Boise Fire Department for 19 years, the last 12 as chief. He was also founder and president of the Southwest Idaho Fire & EMS Chiefs Association. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Northwest Nazarene University, an associate degree in fire science from Boise State University, and is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer program.
The board voted unanimously to offer the position to Doan. They also praised all the candidates and the leadership of Burgess who they said left “big shoes to fill.”
According to the Idaho Statesman, Doan started his career with the Boise Fire Department in 1991 and was an original member of the Hazardous Materials Team. He became a captain in 2002 and received several commendations, including as Boise City Firefighter of the Year in 2003.
In 2019, Doan was offered a job as fire chief in Bend, Oregon, but he turned it down. At the time, he said he opted to stay in Boise because after completing the interview process, he realized he loved Boise “more than ever.”
Since leaving the Boise Fire Department, Doan has been active in the Boise community. He recently won election to his first full six-year term on the Boise School Board after being selected to fill a vacancy in 2018 and has launched a leadership consulting business.
Hayley Harding of the Idaho Statesman contributed to this story. Reach her at hharding@idahostatesman.com
Reach Chase Hutchinson at chase.hutchinson@thenewstribune.com
This story was originally published January 20, 2021 at 6:17 PM.
