CLAFLIN — Claflin Fire Chief Kyle Smith learned early on that to be a success in and out of the fire station, he needed to be surrounded by good people. Smith took up the reins from longtime Chief Doug Hubbard on Jan. 1, and is settling into position as leader since joining the department in 1986. “There aren’t really any loose ends,” Smith noted. “In a small department like this, on such a limited budget, there are always tons and tons of things we need.

Last Tuesday, new Claflin Fire Chief Kyle Smith, right, presented retiring longtime Chief Doug Hubbard with a service award from the Barton County Fire Chiefs’ Association at its most recent quarterly meeting. The organization was one Hubbard helped get started back in the 1990s.

“We’re working on a grant right now, trying to get the money together and some grants to replace some equipment.

That’s been the biggest thing since the day I took over.”

Keeping the department supplied, trained and informed was something that Hubbard was known for. Back in 1996, Hubbard joined Barton County fire chiefs Mike Napolitano, Great Bend, Chris Komarek in Ellinwood and Jim Sekavec in Hoisington to form the Barton County Fire Chiefs’ Association that still meets at least four times a year to this day.

Other departments were also included, for a total of nine.

With Hubbard’s retirement, none of the four founding members are left in the organization.

Sekavek, who was a 40-year veteran of the Hoisington department, was the first to retire. In October 2010, he received an award for 20 years’ service as chief from the BCFA membership. Napolitano retired in 2017.

Komarek, now Ellinwood City Administrator, retired from his position as fire chief in 2021.

The tradition continues. Last Tuesday at their quarterly meeting, it was Hubbard’s turn. Smith, as assistant chief, was there to present Hubbard with his award. Smith noted that other counties have begun to imitate what the BCFA is doing.

“They just all decided that all the fire chiefs in Barton County needed to start getting together and discuss things, get things all on the same page,” Smith noted. “It took off and turned into quite a deal.”

Taking over

In the past month, the new Claflin chief is settling in to the position and meeting challenges head-on.

“I have had a lot of help doing that with the firefighters here,” he said. “I really have some rock stars here.

They make this job easy.

With those guys, this job is a walk in the park. I can trust them that when I’m not there; they know how things should be done.”

However, small departments also have small budgets and that can be frustrating, he said. “It’s frustrating when the stuff that you need you just can’t buy. It’s stuff that you really need that’s required that you have. Every single thing that we use is dated. It hasn’t been used very much but it’s outdated, so therefore we can no longer use them.

“This grant we’re working on now is big,” he said.

“It will pay for new SCBAs (breathing masks) and new bunker gear, which is something that we really need.”

Firefighter recruitment is also an ongoing concern, he noted. “The other thing I’ve worked on here and am getting a handle on it is recruitment of newer, younger firefighters. We have a plan that we’re working on to find some younger guys.

“The recruitment is a big deal,” Chief Smith said. “If we can get the right young guy, then he can help bring in the others. We just need to find that right young guy first.”