As reported by KSRM on January 28, Kenai Fire Chief Jeff Tucker will be retiring this March. The city has announced an official retirement party, for those wanting to celebrate the career of Chief Tucker.
He has held his position in Kenai since 2014, after previously serving as chief of the North Star Volunteer Fire Department outside of Fairbanks, and serving as Soldotna Central Emergency Services Fire Chief in 2002 before accepting the same position at North Star in 2005. He started his emergency service career in 1982 as a paramedic and later became a firefighter, eventually landing a spot as fire chief with Gainesville Fire and Rescue in Florida. It wasn’t until a family trip to Alaska in 2001 when he decided to move north.
Chief Tucker, when asked whether this retirement is more of a ‘goodbye’ or a ‘see ya later’: “Yeah, at this point in time. You never know what opportunities might come along, but my intention is to retire-retire. We’re going to do some traveling around the lower-48 and see the country a little bit.”
The retirement party will be held on March 20 at Kenai Fire Station #1 at 105 South Willow Street. Meat and cake will be provided by Kenai Fire Department, but the party is a pot-luck for side dishes. Anyone interested in attending, please e-mail Rebecca Matthews at rmatthews@kenai.city.