By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

After more than 35 years with the Ellis County Rural Fire Department — 22 years as director — Dick Klaus will retire this summer.

Klaus began working at the rural fire department in 1978 and, at Monday night’s Ellis County Commission meeting, said he plans to retire in June.

The county will begin advertising the opening this week.

Klaus said there are in-house candidates that are interested.

“They work together anyway. All of my chiefs work together well when I’m gone,” Klaus said.

Ellis County Administrator Greg Sund added handling volunteer firefighters are an important part of the job.

“We are a district that survives on volunteers, and you’ve got an amazing number of them,” Sund said. “If the volunteers do not respect this position, we can have major trouble in no time flat.”

Klaus and the commission called for a 60- to 90-day transition period for the new hire to get acquainted with the job.