Shawn Shelton, who has served as chief of the Pueblo Fire Department for the last three-plus years, announced on Friday that he is retiring.
Current Deputy Fire Chief Rick Potter is named the acting fire chief in Shelton’s place until a decision is made on a permanent chief, Shelton said when reached by phone on Friday afternoon.
“It just feels like the right time,” Shelton said of his decision to retire. “I’ve been there for many, many years and it just feels like the right time... I’m leaving happy.”
Shelton’s last day in office was Friday, though his formal retirement date won’t come until Aug. 31. He said he has accumulated a considerable amount of leave that he is going to use in the meantime.
Shelton has been the fire chief since October 2015 and has been employed by the city for 31 years.
He said he is proud to have been a part of the fire department and wished great success to his firefighting family in the future.