Roper Backed for County Fire Chief

Interim Ventura County Fire Chief Bob Roper will get the job permanently Tuesday if Supervisor Kathy Long has her way.

Long has requested a closed session to discuss filling the post at the supervisors’ meeting. The county is seeking its fourth chief within a decade because James Sewell recently accepted the job as fire chief in Seattle.

Long said the county has three options: recruiting from outside the department, looking internally or hiring Roper. She favors hiring Roper, a 17-year department veteran who became deputy chief in 1995.

“There’s value in doing that because we don’t have any money for recruitment,” she said. “I believe he’s qualified, I would enjoy working with him in a permanent position and it would enable the agency to move forward on a positive track.”

The county is facing a $17.8-million budget shortfall and officials are eager to bring stability to the Fire Department.

Chairman John Flynn said Friday he also believes Roper would be a good successor to Sewell.

The 41-year-old Roper said he knew nothing of Tuesday’s session, but has said he is interested in the permanent post.

Roper has worked at stations in Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, Ojai, Meiners Oaks and Somis. He helped design the department’s most recently constructed stations with accommodations for male and female firefighters.