Collins named Garden City interim fire chief

GARDEN CITY, Kan. — The City of Garden City has announced that Battalion Chief Rick Collins will serve as the interim fire chief for the Garden City Fire Department after current fire chief Allen Shelton retires at the end of this week.

Shelton will finish up his 44th year with the Garden City Fire Department. He began his career in September of 1975 as a volunteer firefighter. He was then promoted to volunteer assistant chief in April of 1978 and then to volunteer fire chief in March of 1982. He became the first paid Fire Chief of the Garden City Fire Department in February of 1984.

Shelton was honored back in November with the 2018 Fire Chief of the Year award presented by the Kansas State Association of Fire Chiefs.

Collins has been apart of the GCFD since 1989 and currently oversees the third shift. 

“Battalion Chief Rick Collins is a respected fire officer who has served the department and community for 30 years,” Allen said. “I have the utmost confidence in the entire department and the leadership abilities of all three Battalion Chiefs. As we work to identify the next Garden City Fire Chief, it’s a comfort knowing that the department is in Rick’s very capable hands.“