Clarke is great fire and police

chief for Spring City 

2-27-2020

It recently came to my attention that Spring City Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief and Police Chief Clarke Christensen was threatened with termination.

While trying to process how you could fire a volunteer, I began thinking about how Clarke has helped me and my husband during the past year, which inspired me to talk with friends and neighbors about their experiences with Clarke.

It was unanimous that Clarke is a valued member of our community, who cares for its citizens and holds himself to the highest moral standards.  This motivated me to dig deeper into Clarke’s work history and how he came to Spring City.

I found that he spent 38 years in the Orem Police Department where he cross trained in both police service and fire service. He held positions in patrol, detective, swat, community policing and held the rank of sergeant

In 2014, Clarke was asked to serve as the part-time police chief of Spring City where he utilized his extensive training to handle many high-profile cases including the criminal investigation of the Coltharp case and the return of four missing children.

We gained confidence in our police presence because once the calls were referred by dispatch, Clarke would answer the call day or night. Since his involvement, call rates have risen from 84 in 2013 to 972 from 2017 thru 2019.

In addition to his duties as the full-time police chief, Clarke was asked to take on the role of fire chief in 2017.  He has grown the Spring City volunteer fire department from a rag-tag operation that struggled to get one or two responders out to a call, to a well-trained, responsive volunteer fire department of 23.

Because of Clarke’s emphasis on personal development of each firefighter, our fire department has become the envy of other departments in the county.

Not only is Clarke a great chief, but he is an active community member and a good friend. How many of you have called him at home in the middle of the night?  How many of you have benefited from his efforts at community policing? He takes an active interest in our children and has participated in various programs at the elementary school.  He hit the ground running in 2014 and has not stopped.

As our community continues to grow, we will need a police and fire Chief who truly cares and takes pride in their community and who is forward-thinking. Clarke has proven time after time that he is the right person to fill these vital positions today and into the future and should not be penalized due to budgetary deficiencies.

I hope you will join me at the next city council meeting March 5, 6 p.m., at City Hall to show our support for Chief Clarke Christensen (the man who wears many hats) and to protect the investment we have made in our volunteer fire department, police chief and fire chief.

Renie Howerton,

Spring City