The Eastside Fire & Rescue board has made an offer to an Arizona fire chief to fill the open Eastside Fire chief position as soon as Feb. 1, 2016.
"I'm excited to get started," said Jeff Clark of the Chandler Fire, Health & Medical Department in Chandler, Arizona, Monday. "Overall, it's not my goals that are important, but what we do as an entity."
For the last seven years, Clark has been the fire chief in Chandler, which is more than 1,400 miles south of Issaquah and has a population of about 250,000 people. He began his career there as a firefighter and paramedic in 1991.
Clark, 47, has also served as fire chief for the Chandler County Island Fire District, which provides emergency response to county islands within the city’s boundaries.
Additionally, Clark was the city’s assistant city manager for three years. He oversaw neighborhood resources and the IT departments.
He has an associate of applied science and fire science from Mesa Community College, a bachelor’s degree in public safety administration from Grand Canyon University and a master of administration from Northern Arizona University.
Clark's wife and two children will move up to Washington after his daughter graduates from high school in May, he said. Although, he said he and his wife have been planning to move up to the Pacific Northwest for about five years.
"We love it up there," he said. And Eastside Fire & Rescue "felt like a great fit," he said.
Clark was one of four final candidates gunning for the Eastside Fire & Rescue chief position, including interim Fire Chief Greg Tryon.