Having held the position of Fire Chief in Kenai since 2014, Chief Jeff Tucker is retiring. The city of Kenai’s Department Head Service has begun accepting applications for the position.
Chief Tucker: “After 38 years of working in the fire and EMS profession, I am retiring. March 20 will be my last day. That’ll be the retirement party.”
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.
When asked if he planned to leave the EMS field permanently, Chief Tucker: “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.”
When he was originally hired, Tucker said he was only the second chief the City of Kenai hired from outside the department, but applications are officially being invited from outside of the department.