By Bob Burns
Mail

With the transition to an in-house fire department as of Jan. 1, the Town of Fountain Hills will have an instant 60% increase in staff, and with that comes the additional employee benefits and regulation management.

It was the recommendation of the consultant that reported to the Town Council on the fire department transition, that human resources personnel be added to the staff. Someone with public safety expertise. That has resulted in the hiring of Jinnett Hancock.

Hancock will be working with Deputy Town Manager/Director of Administration Dave Trimble, and while she will focus on public safety personnel, the area of her experience, she will assist Trimble with all his existing HR workload.

Hancock began her career in human resources with Rural/Metro Corp. 20 years ago. This is the contract provider the town has discontinued. For the past 17 years Hancock has worked for the Town of Paradise Valley focusing on public safety matters, most recently in the police department.

With her Rural/Metro background,  Hancock said it was nice to come into a situation where there were a couple of familiar faces, most notably Chief Dave Ott and Assistant Chief/Fire Marshal Mike Winters.

“Public safety has unique needs in human resources,” Hancock said. “It is a different culture they operate in.”

Hancock said she is pleased to be able to come into the town and contribute. She is getting to know the other employees. “I’m here for all (town) employees,” she said.

Born in Mesa, Hancock said she is a fourth generation Arizonan on her father’s side. Her family did move to New Mexico where they lived in Clovis. She attended the University of New Mexico earning a degree in criminal justice. After returning to the Phoenix area, she earned her MBA in organizational management from the University of Phoenix. She is a Scottsdale resident.

“I’m excited to be here,” Hancock said. “Customer service is my number one objective. Without the people,  there would be no need for what we do.”