Wellington Fire Protection District welcomes first paid fire chief

Gary Green has been on the job as Wellington’s first paid fire chief since Jan. 1.,and says that in that short time he has come to feel very much at home. “Everyone I’ve met — at the bank, the Post Office and at local stores and restaurants — has been warm and welcoming.”

Green, who grew up in Mustang, Okla., has been in the firefighting business in Colorado since 1989. He recently spent eight years as fire chief at the Red White and Blue fire protection district in Breckenridge. He is delighted to be on the Front Range close to his parents and two sisters. Green is the father of two grown sons and two daughters ages 13 and 14.

He holds a degree in fire science from Colorado Mountain College and is also a fire academy graduate. “I love my career,” he says. “Being able to work as a fire chief in Wellington is a wonderful opportunity for me.”

The job was particularly appealing to Green because of the caliber of the volunteer firefighters in Wellington. “I knew after getting to know them and observing their dedication and the way they cared for the fire equipment, that this was a place where I wanted to work,” Green says.

Wellington’s volunteer firefighters are pleased to have a full-time person whose job it is to coordinate the busy department. An increasing population plus increased risks made it necessary to hire a paid chief, according to Green.

In his free time Green likes to downhill and cross-country ski, hike, fish, camp and play ice hockey.

“I’m right at home here,” Green said. “Wellington is about the size of my hometown in Oklahoma. I’ve just traded oil derricks and wheat fields for corn fields and a whole lot more trees.”