On May 8, the Falcon Fire Protection District Board of Directors will hold an election to fill three seats. Four candidates are running, each seeking a four-year term.Dan KupfererKupferer is a current board member and has served on the board several times in the past. He is the president of Land Development Consultants LLC in Colorado Springs. Kupferer volunteered at the FFPD from 1980 until 1999. While there, he served as captain, deputy chief and assistant chief.In addition to his time with the FFPD, Kupferer served on the Regional Fire Investigation Team as a fire investigator for the 4th Judicial District.Kupferer said he felt the urge to run for the board because heís been ìassociatedî with the FFPD for a long time, and it would be ìunnaturalî not to be involved.ìI think I can give the board some perspective as far as where we’ve been and where we’re going,î he said. ìI think I can give a good broad-based experience to draw from. I base my decisions on the board on how it affects the district overall, not the firefighters or the administration. Sometimes, the decision may not be best for any one group but for the district as a whole.îGreg HeuleHeule is a 32-year career firefighter. He retired as a lieutenant with the Colorado Springs Fire Department, where he served 28 years. Although he is no longer an active firefighter, Heule serves as a public information officer for Colorado Wildland Fire & Incident Management Academies.As a volunteer firefighter in the Woodland Park area, Heule was elected as the first chairman of the board of directors for that district. He was later hired as its fire prevention inspector.Heule said the timing was right for him to run for the FFPD board. ìFirefighting is my thing and I’ve been involved in it for a long time,î he said. ìI have the desire to pass on my knowledge. I want to give back to the community.ìAs the community grows, we (the board) are going to have to grow with it. I have the ability now to dedicate my time to do the job within the constraints of my summertime employment. The FFPD is well on its way to becoming a premier district and I’d like to be part of that process.îSteve McKennaMcKenna began his career with the FFPD as a volunteer firefighter in 2003. He became a career firefighter five years later, achieving the position of lieutenant before leaving the district in 2011. McKenna currently works for the U.S. Army and Air Force Exchange Service as a supervisor.McKenna has a bachelor’s degree in fire science. Through his work with financial advisory company Edward Jones from 2002 to 2006, he said he has built a strong background in financial planning and budget management. McKenna also is a member of the executive search committee for the Colorado Springs Charter Academy.ìI want to serve the district,î McKenna said. ìI’d also like to see some more transparency on the board with what they’re doing. I’d like to see more representation in District 4. We’re the second busiest district in Falcon (the FFPD is split into six districts) and nothing’s been done down here.îìI’m not hiding behind a political action committee,î McKenna said. ìI think the FFPD did a disservice to the district (explaining) about how they needed the mill levy, just to maintain. When they passed the mill levy, there were 3,100 people out there who know something that made them vote against it. I just think the board needs a lot of work and I encourage voters to vote.îBobby SordenSorden worked as a fire alarm engineer for the Colorado Springs Fire Department, and then for SimplexGrinnell. After completing his master’s degree, Sorden took a job teaching at Challenger Middle School, where he helped develop a new technology curriculum.In addition to his teaching career, Sorden owns Sensational Sounds DJs. He is also working on his doctorate degree in education leadership, and holds a seat on the Falcon Highlands Metropolitan District Board of Directors.Sorden said he felt now was the right time to get involved with the FFPD. ìI thought this would be a good way to help out the community and help keep the FFPD board going strong,î Sorden said.ìI’ll bring a business perspective to the board,î he said. ìUnderstanding how a business is run and how the district is our customer, so we have to serve them.î
