Three months after Vashon's fire chief announced he planned to leave the department in the coming months, Chief Hank Lipe has resigned and will leave June 30.
Lipe, who has led Vashon Island Fire & Rescue (VIFR) since 2008, publicly announced his intentions to leave VIFR in March when former Assistant Chief George Brown retired. At the time, Lipe said he expected to remain until his successor was selected, but those plans changed when he was offered a job as the director of emergency management in Plymouth, Massachusetts — a position he will begin July 11. The decision to leave the fire service was a hard one, Lipe said, but he stressed the time is right for a new chief at VIFR.
"We've made huge strides, important strides," he said. "It's time for new leadership, new energy to take the district out the next five to eight years."
To head the search, Vashon's fire commissioners have retained the Issaquah-based firm Prothman, which helped the district hire both Lipe and Brown. Lipe said he has been working closely with the board to write the profile for the next chief, and one of the firm's recruiters is a lifelong friend and a former Shoreline fire chief, who was instrumental in Lipe taking the position on Vashon.
"He is well qualified, and I have met with him extensively to help the commissioners find new leadership," he said.