SARASOTA COUNTY FIRE CHIEF HEADS TO D C

THE SARASOTA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS HIT WITH THE NEWS YESTERDAY THAT THEIR FIRE CHIEF OF A YEAR AND A HALF, KENNETH ELLERBE, IS HEADING BACK TO WHERE HE CAME FROM.  ELLERBE ACCEPTED A POSITION AS THE FIRE CHIEF OF WASHINGTON, D C WHICH IS WHERE HE WAS WORKING WHEN HE TOOK THE JOB HERE IN JUNE OF 2009.  COUNTY OFFICIALS WERE TOTALLY CAUGHT OFF-GUARD BY THE ANNOUNCEMENT AND HAVE LAUNCHED A SEARCH FOR HIS REPLACEMENT.  ELLERBE REPLACED NOW ENGLEWOOD FIRE CONTROL DISTRICT CHIEF BRIAN GORSKI AFTER HE RETIRED BECAUSE OF RETIREMENT BENEFITS.  ELLERBE WAS MAKING A LITTLE MORE THAN $112,000 DOLLARS.