Excerpts from the rrstar.com:
Rockford Fire Chief Derek Bergsten accepted the position of chief for the Poudre Fire Authority in Fort Collins, Colorado. His last day with the Rockford Fire Department will be May 7. The Rockford Board of Fire and Police Commissioners will now begin searching for someone to succeed him.
After joining the Rockford Fire Department in March 1994, Bergsten was named chief in 2008. A successful track record and a willingness to pilot new programs earned Bergsten recognition as the 2020 Illinois Fire Chief of the Year.
Among the new programs Bergsten oversaw were the implementation of a mobile integrated health program; expansion of a certified fire vehicle repair shop operated by the department; a program that allows Rockford fire personnel to transport patients experiencing a mental health issue to a specialized facility instead of an emergency room; and providing Naloxone kits and training to the families of those who have overdosed.
He will be asked to establish some of those programs at the Colorado department which he said, like Rockford, is high-performing and accredited.
