Dedman appointed as Kalispell fire chief

Dave Dedman, the Kalispell Fire Department’s operations chief and interim fire chief for the last seven months, will be appointed fire chief, departing City Manager Jane Howington said on Wednesday.

“I appreciate the opportunity to serve,” said Dedman, a 16-year veteran with the Kalispell Fire Department.

Kalispell’s fire chief position had been vacant following Dan Diehl’s resignation in June 2011, with Dedman assuming those duties on an interim basis.

Howington made her appointment after a study she requested last September found it would not make financial sense to combine the city’s police and fire operations under one public safety department.

In her last day on the job Wednesday, Howington was set to tell the Kalispell City Council about the study’s findings and her decision to appoint Dedman fire chief during a special meeting focused on the West Side Tax Increment Finance District.

The appointment does not require council approval.

The study was completed by Kalispell Police Chief Roger Nasset. He talked to area fire chiefs and the city’s firefighters and looked at various public safety models being used elsewhere, Howington said.

“A lot of places are moving to a public safety department. Because Kalispell is still fairly small, that would really add to the cost and right now there probably wouldn’t be enough work for two chiefs and a director,” she said.

The study did find that Kalispell Fire Department should try to cooperate with the Flathead Valley’s other fire departments on things such as training and purchasing. “That’s something that we’ll look at moving forward, but that won’t change the basic structure,” Howington said.

Following the city’s contentious contract negotiations with firefighters last year, Howington said Dedman has proved to be a stabilizing force in the fire department and the right choice for fire chief.

“Dave is the right guy for the job. He’s been doing a really good job. Hats off to him,” she said.

Kalispell’s assistant fire chief position remains open. The city likely will advertise for that vacancy shortly, Howington said.

Dedman, who is 40, was born and raised in Kalispell and joined the Kalispell Fire Department in 1996.

After graduating from high school, Dedman volunteered with the Somers Fire Department and with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation in the summer to help fight wildfires.

Dedman said he joined the Kalispell Fire Department after graduating from Spokane Community College with a degree in fire science.

Dedman spent a year and a half as operations chief before being asked to fill in as interim fire chief. Things are settling down in the fire department, he said.

“After this last go-round of negotiations, things were kind of touch and go, but I think morale is going up,” Dedman said.

“We’re focused on doing our jobs and providing the best service we can to our community.”

Reporter Tom Lotshaw may be reached at 758-4483 or by email at tlotshaw@dailyinterlake.com.