Alpena Township selects Hansen as fire chief

ALPENA -- The restructuring of the Alpena Township Fire Department took an important step forward, as the board of trustees voted to hire a new fire chief who will help reshape the department well into the future.

The trustees voted 7-0 to offer the job to Mark Hansen, who is currently a fire officer for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Hansen said he has been paying attention to current issues and development with the department and understands the importance of establishing a strong staff to move forward. Staffing has been an issue, which caused the township to consider hiring the city to handle emergency response.

Soon after the trustees voted against a contract with the city, chief Dave Robbins resigned, which set the wheels in motion to hire a replacement.

Hansen said he has several short-term goals when he begins in a few weeks, and in order to accomplish them, it will take the hard work of everyone on the department's staff.

"Of course we need to work on staffing issues at this time to make sure it is adequate for township residents and emergencies that might arise," Hansen said. "All of our members are critical. The paid-on-call, the full-time staff, we just all have to work together. My goal is to get everybody back together and accomplish that and hopefully have a successful mission."

Trustee Cash Kroll said about 30 people applied for the job, exceeding the interest he believed the position would attract. He said the candidates were trimmed to five and all of them had the credentials to do the job and had good interviews.

"It was a very tough decision because they were all top-notch and qualified," Kroll said. "There wasn't anyone who wasn't qualified, and it really came down to how the interview process went."

Hansen is slated to earn $69,000 a year, with health benefits, paid-time-off, and retirement compensation.