Duane Olsen named interim fire chief...

Duane Olsen named interim fire chief

The City Council named Fire Division Chief Duane Olsen as acting

chief to replace Michael Dolder, who is retiring later this month.

The council unanimously approved Olsen, who is set to start Jan. 1

and hold the department’s top job until a permanent replacement is

named.

City Administrator Ray Silver, who will name the permanent chief,

recommended Olsen for the post.

Olsen has served in a string of jobs in the Fire Department for 26

years. He joined the department in 1974 as a firefighter and has

served as a paramedic, inspector, fire marshal, captain and battalion

chief.

Dolder’s last day as chief will be Dec. 28. He has held the job

since 1991.

Job center named after police veteran

City leaders have renamed the Huntington Beach Community Job

Center after a 37-year veteran of the city’s police department.

The center will now be known as the Luis M. Ochoa Community Job

Center.

Ochoa retired in January, as a lieutenant.

When he was hired in 1965, Ochoa became the first Mexican-American

police officer in the police department. He was promoted to

lieutenant in 1992.

Ochoa was instrumental in establishing a foot-beat patrol and

substation in the Oak View neighborhood.

In the mid-1990s, Ochoa proposed opening the job center. The city

cut the ribbon on the facility at 18131 Gothard St. in September of

1999.

City fixes gas leak

caused by roadwork

Huntington Beach Fire officials capped a natural gas main last

week after a private contractor caused a leak during roadwork.

After an off-duty firefighter noticed leaking gas, at 2:04 p.m.

Dec. 11, fire officials closed off the area for two blocks in every

direction around Huntington Street and Adams Avenue.

Fire officials evacuated 55 residents from two apartment complexes

in the wake of the leak to a Boys and Girls Club nearby.

At about 7 p.m., fire officials had successfully capped the leak

and allowed the residents back into their homes, spokeswoman Martha

Werth said.

The leak occurred when a Caterpillar truck being used by the crew

punctured a 2-inch line in the street. The crew was digging up

asphalt as part of a city effort to improve the road surface.