Dec. 04--YAKIMA, Wash. -- After three years leading the Yakima Fire Department, Chief Dave Willson will retire in January.
"I started fire college when I was 18 years old, so I've been doing this a long, long time," said Willson, who'll be 57 in January. "I put in my time and gave the fire department my all."
Willson started as a Yakima firefighter in 1984 and worked his way through the ranks to deputy chief in 2007 and then chief in 2010.
"I never did start this job saying someday I'll be a fire chief, I just loved the job," Willson said Tuesday. "I'm a very fortunate person that doors have opened at the right time and I've had a very fulfilling career."
Willson said he decided to retire now both because it's a good time for his family and because he believes the fire department is on an "upswing."
After years of operating on a tight budget, the Yakima City Council plans to provide the fire department additional funds next year to hire several more firefighters, create a new training budget and add a training officer position. The department's budget is $10 million this year.
"It's a great time for someone new to come in and take over," Willson said. "We have great people in this department that will keep it going no matter what, so I'm not worried about leaving."
City Manager Tony O'Rourke said that Willson is leaving the 90-member department in strong shape.
"It's an excellent, professional department and I would love to see him continue on, but it's a rare opportunity for him to leave on top," O'Rourke said. "No better time to leave than when you are a champion."
Jeremy Rodriguez, the president of the Yakima Firefighter's Union said that while he is happy for Willson, the department will miss having a leader with 30 years of local experience.
"To say he's a veteran is probably an understatement," Rodriguez said. "He's worked hard on our behalf and he's always been willing to sit down and work with us on stuff."
The city plans to look internally for Willson's successor, O'Rourke said. They hope to make a decision by the end of the month.
"Our priority is to promote from within," O'Rourke said. "If we're still unsure, we'll create an acting position and then look for outside candidates."
Rodriquez said that the process of finding a new fire chief comes with mixed emotions for the firefighters.
"There's always a little bit of nervousness about who's going to come in, but it's exciting too to get new ideas and fresh blood upstairs," Rodriquez said.
The union will participate in the search for Willson's successor, Rodriquez said, and he's glad that O'Rourke invited them to the table.
Reflecting back on his career, Willson said the bad memories have stuck with him more than the successes.
"The most memorable experience is losing one of my firefighters, Rusty Hauber, in a rescue," Willson said. "That will stick with me my entire life,"
In 1997, Hauber and Charlie Mestaz, a volunteer firefighter from Moxee, tried to rescue two divers who failed to surface from an underground section of an irrigation canal near Zillah, where they were trying to remove submerged vehicles. All four men died.
"When you live with these guys, they are like family," Willson said. "To be honest, over all these years, I'm lucky it's only one."
His best memory, he said, was the day he was hired.
"I just went outside in the backyard and yelled," Willson said. "You'd have 200 or 300 people trying out for positions, so when you landed a job, it was like winning the lottery."
Willson said that he's looking forward to retirement, including spending time with family and traveling.
"I'm not going to go out and get another job," Willson said, laughing. "I'm probably going to spend a couple years working on the house. My wife and I are going to start boating on the Puget Sound."
Copyright 2013 - Yakima Herald-Republic, Wash.
