Inverness has a new fire chief: the publisher of the Point Reyes Light. David Briggs, who joined the department as a volunteer nine years ago, officially took over as chief on March 7, replacing Jim Fox, who has served in the department for 52 years, including 25 years as chief.
Mr. Briggs, a 41-year-old father of two who is also the Light’s photographer and business manager, has been working as the assistant chief for four years. Before he signed on as a volunteer, he sometimes found himself arriving at emergency scenes before anyone else, police scanner humming and camera in hand.
“I felt a little silly standing around waiting to take pictures of firefighters when I could be trying to help,” he said. “I think that was what initially spurred me to volunteer. At first, it was the actual fires that got me interested, but I quickly realized that there were a lot of medical calls that the department responded to, and I could go help my neighbors.”
Indeed, most of the 150 or so calls the department receives each year are medical calls, giving its 16 volunteers ample opportunity to help neighbors in distress. Sometimes, the calls come from seniors who have fallen and can’t get up; other times, they are matters of life and death.
The chief’s job is officially half time, and Mr. Briggs will continue his work at the Light. As an assistant chief, he took on many of the fire department’s administrative duties and some responsibilities of the chief, including leading trainings and assigning duty officers.
For many years, Mr. Fox mostly handled the duty officer role himself, which meant being on call for 24 hours without turning off his pager. Mr. Briggs has since spread that role, which comes with a small stipend, between himself and several volunteers.
It’s a welcome opportunity for Sydney Knudsen, a firefighter who has volunteered with the department for two years. “David gives people opportunities, and I think that’s cool,” she said. “Being a duty officer, you get to be in charge of a scene. It could be a car accident, a smoke check, a medical call, a fire. It could be a plumbing emergency or a cat in a tree.” She thinks Mr. Briggs has the right temperament for the job. “I’ve never seen him frazzled,” she said.
The fire department is funded mostly by property taxes and is overseen by the Inverness Public Utility District, the fiscal and legal entity that operates it. The department recently received two grants that it will use to upgrade its turnouts—the bulky suits that firefighters wear.
More expensive are the trucks that the department will eventually have to replace. Mr. Briggs is hoping for grants to cover them, and he’s been working to better position the department to win them.
A native of Lafayette, La., where he earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, Mr. Briggs came to the Light as a photographer in 2010, at a time when the paper was downsizing and transitioning to nonprofit ownership. His job soon expanded with office work that later morphed into ownership.
At the fire department, his job evolved in a similar fashion, as he’s found ways to support Mr. Fox, who also held the water superintendent position until last summer.
Now, their roles will reverse. Mr. Fox will serve as assistant chief on a volunteer basis, providing institutional memory and bestowing wisdom as needed.
“I was slightly nervous that, after so many years running both the fire department and water system, I would find it hard to relax and turn things over,” Mr. Fox said. “But I’ve found that’s not a big issue for me now, knowing that David—who is competent and has the right attitude, demeanor and experience—is taking over.”
The firefighters in a small volunteer crew can’t match a full-time crew when it comes to equipment and training, but they offer something else: a personal touch.
“We’re not physicians or paramedics, but when someone has a problem, they’re grateful for us to show up because we’re neighbors,” Mr. Fox said. “That helps, when they’re anxious and in a bad way. And that’s the reward I get.”