Los Pinos Fire Protection District Chief Larry Behrens plans to retire next month, making way for Deputy Chief Tom Aurnhammer to take the helm.
“The board of directors is very pleased to promote Chief Aurnhammer based upon his experience, as well as his personal and professional accomplishments throughout his long career,” board President Mark Williams said in a news release. “We are excited for what he will bring to the organization in his new role.”
Aurnhammer, 58, said he wants to create a strategic planning “template” for maintaining the existing level of service despite declining revenues.
“Obviously, there’s going to be funding challenges with the decline of oil and gas revenue,” he said Wednesday.
It is likely the district will have to ask voters for a tax increase, he said, but there are no immediate plans to do so.
Los Pinos fire district covers 325 square miles in southeast La Plata County and parts of Archuleta County, including Ignacio, Arboles, Allison, Oxford and the La Plata County Road 318 corridor. It also is contracted to cover parts of San Juan County, New Mexico.
The district has 15 full-time firefighters/medics and 15 reserve staff members. About 8,000 residents reside in the district.
Aurnhammer, who has served as the district’s deputy chief since 2003, has more than 40 years of firefighting experience. Before joining Los Pinos Fire Protection District, he worked as fire chief in Farmington.
He completed the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program in 1993, and he recently graduated Summa Cum Laude from Columbia Southern University with a bachelor’s degree in fire administration.
He and his wife, Lori, live in Ignacio.
shane@durangoherald.com
