Council appoints Dan Bates and Bridget Hayes to North Summit Fire administrative board

Summit County Council on Dec. 10 appointed Dan Bates and Bridget Hayes to the North Summit Fire Service District Administrative Control Board, filling two vacancies on the five-member board.

The appointments followed interviews with six candidates. Dan Bates described long-standing local ties and aviation-management experience; he told the council, “I take a lot of information and sometimes I have to make very quick decisions, but sometimes I’m able to gather information from various sources and... make the best decision.” Bridget Hayes, who serves on the county planning commission and the open-space advisory committee, said she brought business and data-analysis experience: “I literally went home that night... and put together a spreadsheet model on how you could have different staffing patterns,” she said, describing a willingness to help the district with operational and systems planning rather than frontline firefighting.

Councilmember Roger Armstrong moved to appoint Bates and Hayes; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. The council initially stated terms expiring Dec. 31, 2027, then corrected both terms to Dec. 31, 2029 after staff clarification.

The interviews focused on three recurring issues: response times for rural residents, the cost and aging condition of fire equipment and facilities, and transparency about how tax revenues are spent. Several applicants stressed a desire to represent rural pockets of North Summit and to act as a bridge between residents and the district’s leadership. Bates noted no conflict of interest with his wife’s role in law enforcement; Gail Pace, another applicant, emphasized long volunteer service driving seniors and search-and-rescue work.

Next steps: county staff will notify the appointees and the Board will be seated according to the corrected term dates. The council said it will follow up as needed on district oversight and community outreach.