Starting on January 1st of 2024, Holt Community Fire Protection District is under the direction of new Fire Chief Ed Barger. Chief Barger comes to us with an extensive history in fire protection districts in two states. He began his career with Kearney Fire and Rescue Protection District as a Junior Responder and worked closely with many members of the Holt community Fire Protection District through the 1980s. In addition to serving with KFRPD as a firefighter and Company Officer (Lt.), Ed also served several years as a Director on the Board of Directors. After serving in the United States Army from 85-89, Ed began a career with Consolidated Fire District No. 2 in Northeast Johnson County Kansas in 1990 as a firefighter EMT and retired in October of 2018 as a Battalion Chief with over 38 years in the Fire Service. Chief Barger Holds IFSAC certification from Kansas University Fire Training in Firefighter I, II, and III, Driver Operator I, Fire Instructor I, and Fire Officer 1 and spent 10+ years as an adjunct field instructor for Kansas University Fire Service Training. Chief Barger holds a BA from Ottawa University and an M.Sc. from Columbia Southern University in Organizational Leadership. In his spare hours, Chief Barger currently sits as a South Director on the Board of Directors for Platte-Clay Electrical Cooperative.
Chief Barger’s experience will be a great asset to the district as we work to rebuild our organization and prepare for a brighter future for taxpayers and personnel. The focus of our organization moving forward is simple. We do the right things for the right reasons, serving the best interests of our community and taxpayers. We remain committed to being a community service driven organization; transparent and driven by the needs of the community.