Santa Barbara County Fire Department Chief Eric Peterson formally announced Aug. 31 plans to retire by the end of October.
Peterson, who was appointed to the position in January 2015 by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, said that while he'll surely miss his work with the fire department, he felt it was time to let someone else step up and take the reins.
MOVING ON
After only about three years leading the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, Chief Eric Peterson announced on Aug. 31 plans to retire next month.
"I turn 54 in October and there comes a point where you feel like it's time to give someone else a shot at it," Peterson said, "and I've kind of reached that point."
Peterson has worked in the county Fire Department for nearly 32 years, since he started as a firefighter in 1987 and eventually climbed the ranks, serving as an engineer, captain, president of Firefighters Local 2046, training battalion chief, operations battalion chief, fire marshal, and deputy fire chief before his stint as chief.