PORT TOWNSEND — East Jefferson Fire-Rescue chief Gordon Pomeroy is retiring after eight years of serving as fire chief.
Pomeroy is slated to retire at the end of the year, but fire commissioners could extend that deadline if a new chief hasn’t been selected, according to Bill Beezley, public information officer for East Jefferson Fire-Rescue (EJFR).
Friday was the deadline on the first round of applications for the position of fire chief. The department has received 22 applications, Beezley said.
The department will begin screening applicants starting next week, he added.
Pomeroy joined the department in May 2008 as head of the EJFR EMS Critical Care Transportation Division.
After less than a year, Pomeroy took over as interim chief in September of 2008 following the sudden departure of former Chief Chuck Tandy, who was asked to step down by the board.
Pomeroy was named chief of EJFR District 1 and took over the position in December 2009 after an executive session of the fire district commissioners.
Pomeroy was trained at Harborview Medical Center under the auspices of the University of Washington in 1980.
Before joining EJFR, Pomeroy led several private companies working on DNA-identification processes, worked in the motion picture industry as an EMS staff coordinator and had over 30 years of experience as an emergency medical technician, paramedic and instructor with the Shoreline Fire Department in North Seattle.
Pomeroy was out of the office Friday and unable to comment.
The new chief, according to the district’s website at www.ejfr.org, should focus on maintaining good relationships with stakeholders, volunteers, city staff and emergency response partners, as well as continue to review service delivery and staffing models, among other requirements.
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Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Cydney McFarland can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 55052, or at cmcfarland@peninsuladailynews.com.
