The Seattle Times
SEATTLE — Seattle Fire Chief Gregory Dean announced Thursday he will be retiring at the end of the year — and this time, he won’t be swayed to stay as he was when he first tried to retire nearly a year ago.
Dean, who graduated from Seattle’s Franklin High School and has spent his entire 44-year career with the Seattle Fire Department, plans to stay in the city.
“I grew up here; this is home. But I will travel and take time just to enjoy life itself — that means golfing,” Dean, 64, said with a chuckle.
There’s no word yet on who will replace Dean, but Seattle Mayor Ed Murray has begun a process to fill the chief’s position, which Dean has held since 2004.
Dean, who joined the department in 1970, served as the city’s fire marshal, deputy chief and interim chief.
“Chief Dean demonstrated the highest commitment to public service over a distinguished career here at the city,” Murray said in a news release. “We salute his devotion to the department and to his firefighters. I wish him the best in the future, even as I know I will miss his steady leadership and wise counsel.”
Dean told the mayor in the early days of the new administration that he was looking forward to retirement, but the mayor persuaded him to stay another year, the news release said.
Last week, Murray again asked Dean to postpone his departure, but this time the chief told the mayor it was time to enjoy a well-deserved retirement, according to the release.
During his tenure as fire chief of the 1,150-member department, Dean directed the implementation of the Fire Facilities Levy that resulted in the construction and renovation of 32 fire stations, a new Joint Training Facility and new fireboats.
After a 2010 fire in Fremont that killed a young woman and four children, Dean had fire officials reach out to Seattle’s East African and Asian immigrant communities to increase awareness of fire hazards and fire safety. He said the public-education effort has helped reduce fire deaths in the city, along with fire losses — which are down from an average of $15 million a year to $13 million this year.
The department’s $179 million budget is now being finalized by the City Council, which means whoever steps into the chief’s job will have time to get to know the department before having to deal with the next budget, Dean said.
Copyright 2014 The Seattle Times
All Rights Reserved