Granite Falls-area fire chief placed on paid leave

Published 9:42 pm Thursday, November 12, 2009

Snohomish County Fire District 17 Chief Rick Hjelle has been placed on paid leave while the district’s board of commissioners conducts an investigation.

What prompted the move has not been disclosed.

A commissioner on Nov. 4 was told something that prompted an initial investigation, said Bill Gillam, the board’s chairman.

Two days later, the board held a special meeting and voted unanimously to place Hjelle on leave pending the results of a thorough investigation, Gillam said.

The investigation is being conducted by an outside party at the direction of an attorney for the fire district, he said.

Assistant Fire Chief Jim Haverfield is serving as acting chief for the department, which provides emergency services to the Granite Falls community.