Wednesday, June 30, 1999
Florence fire chief hates to go, but offer too good
BY KRISTINA GOETZ
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FLORENCE — City officials will soon be looking for someone to fill the position of fire chief.
Chief Richard Albers is retiring from the department effective Aug. 31 after nearly nine years of service.
“I hate to go, especially now because there are a lot of good things going on in the city,” he said.
Chief Albers said that his departure will be emotional, but that the offer he received from Oldham County, near Louisville, was one he couldn't refuse.
Chief Albers will become the Oldham fire protection district's first full-time paid fire chief. He'll receive a salary of $48,000 while drawing his pension from the state.
His salary will be $10,000 less than he makes as Florence fire chief, but he said the pension will more than make up for it.
“The package they're offering, the economic impact is phe nomenal,” he said. “I couldn't turn it down.”
The department he will take over is a lot like the one in Union, he said. Chief Albers will be in charge of two stations and 40 firefighters, most of whom are volunteer.
The district is 36 square miles and is mostly residential. Although the area he covers in Florence is only 19 square miles, there are industrial, residential and commercial areas.
“It's going to be different, the change of pace,” he said.
Chief Albers will be heading back toward the place where he became a firefighter. He came to Florence from Louisville where he was a district chief.
“I'm glad to go home, but I'm sad to leave,” he said. “I've made a lot of friends, and I've become pretty attached to this place.”
Florence city officials say they will decide in a few weeks whether to look for a replacement within or outside the department.
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