The Menlo Park Fire Protection District announced it appointed an Interim Fire Chief Thursday, while Chief Harold Schapelhouman recovers from an injury.
The Fire Protection District’s Board of Directors met on May 16 to discuss their options and decided Douglas Sporleder was the best man for the job.
“We were really lucky that we could talk Doug into coming back,” said Steve Nachtsheim, President of the MPFPD Board of Directors. “He knows the names of the streets, and knows the district,” Nachtsheim told Patch.
Sporleder was Menlo Park’s Fire Chief from 2005-2006, just before the district appointed Schapelhouman to the position of Fire Chief.
His previous experience includes leading the Santa Clara Fire Department as its Fire Chief and Fire Marshall from 1982-2001.
It is unclear how much time Schapelhouman will need to heal from an injury he sustained while off-duty this past weekend.
Sporleder will be financially compensated at the same pay rate as Schapelhouman, according to Nachtsheim, while he manages the team in Menlo Park.
Sporleder’s first day is Monday, May 20.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
