Oct. 23--SELAH, Wash. -- Longtime Selah fire Chief Jerry Davis was put on administrative leave Friday and is not expected to return to the job.
Selah Mayor John Gawlik said the decision was made jointly by the mayor and a majority of Yakima County Fire Protection District 2 commissioners to put Davis on administrative leave through the end of the year. Gawlik declined to answer numerous questions about why Davis was put on leave.
"It is my responsibility to make decisions on fire personnel with the acceptance or agreement of the fire commissioners," Gawlik said. "We have an agreement not to discuss this."
Gawlik said Davis told colleagues earlier this year that he planned to retire in 2014. He said he strongly believes Davis will do just that.
"(Davis) had given us the indication earlier on this year that it was his intention to retire in 2014, which is what he's going to do," Gawlik said.
Calls to Davis's cellphone and home phone numbers were not returned Tuesday.
Davis joined the Selah Fire Department in 1976 as a volunteer firefighter and was hired as assistant chief and fire marshal in 1989, according to the city's website. Davis had been Selah's fire chief since 1996.
Davis is also a former chairman of the Yakima County Fire Chiefs Association and Yakima County Fire Prevention Association, and served on the Washington State Fire Defense Board for the Lower Columbia Region.
The Selah Fire Department consists of the city of Selah and Yakima County Fire Protection District 2, covering an area of about 23,000 residents.
--Mike Faulk can be reached at 509-577-7675 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/Mike_Faulk.
Copyright 2013 - Yakima Herald-Republic, Wash.
