Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown on Friday announced personnel updates in her new administration, including the pending departure of Spokane Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer and the appointment of Dawn Kinder as director of the city’s Neighborhood, Housing, and Human Services division.
Schaeffer will be stepping down from his role as fire chief effective Jan. 15 while assisting in a transition period before formally retiring at the end of March, according to the mayor’s office.
“The agreement comes as Mayor Brown had plans to transition the role and after Chief Schaeffer had expressed his intention to retire to the previous administration and department leadership,” the announcement said. Assistant Fire Chief Tom Williams will remain in his capacity and continue to manage day-to-day department operations.