Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013 | 9:55 p.m.
The North Las Vegas City Council voted on Wednesday to ratify a proposal to make acting North Las Vegas Fire Chief Jeffrey Buchanan’s position permanent.
The issue: North Las Vegas City Manager Tim Hacker proposed the appointment of Buchanan as the city’s permanent fire chief. Buchanan had stepped into the role in July after former Chief Al Gillespie was placed on paid administrative leave and later left the department. Buchanan had been working as the assistant fire chief since 2011 and started working in the department as a paramedic in 2001.
The vote: 4-0 in favor; Councilman Robert Eliason was absent.
What it means: Buchanan was sworn in following the proposal’s ratification giving the North Las Vegas Fire Department a permanent fire chief. The City Council made its support for Buchanan known before the vote. Each member showered him with praise for his work since stepping into the role as acting chief making the vote largely ceremonial. He will continue to oversee a department of 168 employees, and juggle a slashed overtime budget that has caused three designated stations to “brown out” or shut down temporarily at various times in the year.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy