New fire chief for East Side district
Retiring East Side Fire Chief Dan Currie, left, is joined by new fire chief, Jerry Lynn.
Amber Loewe
The East Side Fire District has a new fire chief.
Jerry Lynn is a native Idahoan and has six years as an ESFD volunteer firefighter and officer, as well as experience in management and team-building in the corporate world.
The district serves residents and property located east of Lake Coeur d'Alene.
“I want to thank Chief Dan Currie for the leadership he has shown us these past six years. I look forward to working with our great group of volunteers and serving the East Side community as the new fire chief,” Lynn said in a press release.
Currie, who is retiring, was credited with being instrumental in the 26-year-old district’s acquisition of a state-of-the-art fire and rescue boat that is moored on the lake year round, “greatly increasing the District’s fire suppression, water management and on-water emergency response capabilities.”
“He has been dedicated and committed to the growth and continued improvement of ESFD’s capabilities, ensuring volunteers have the protective gear and tools to respond effectively, efficiently and safely to any incident,” the release said.
“It has been my privilege to work with our talented and dedicated volunteers to provide fire and EMS emergency services to our community,” Currie said. “As we welcome Jerry to his full-time leadership role, East Side Fire District is well positioned to answer the call as our community continues to evolve and grow.”
Fred Fricke, president of East Side Fire District’s Board of Commissioners, said that through Currie’s efforts, the district is highly respected locally and statewide.
“East Side Fire has made great strides forward over the last five years under his tutelage,” Fricke said.
He said the search committee received 24 applications for the open chief’s position.
“It speaks to our excellent training that the most qualified applicant came from within our own ranks and it is with great anticipation that we all look to the future under the guidance of Chief Lynn,” Fricke said. “The commissioners feel confident that he will add his touch to the already high level of response, training and recruiting of volunteers that has been established.”