Vashon’s fire department is facing a leadership transition as Assistant Chief George Brown announced his retirement last week, and Chief Hank Lipe said he, too, plans to the leave the district soon.

Brown, 53, has served Vashon Island Fire & Rescue (VIFR) for the last six years and will depart later this month, taking advantage of the fact that Washington fire service personnel are able to retire at his age and receive their full pension. Lipe, 61, who has led the district for seven years, said he has not set a date for his departure and will work with the commissioners so that the change, when it takes place, goes smoothly.

“I am committed to the community to make sure the continuity of leadership remains at the highest level here through the transition,” Lipe said last week.

Currently, there are no plans to replace Brown, according to the chair of VIFR’s board of commissioners, Candy McCullough, but she noted the board plans to hold a retreat in June to discuss a range of issues, including future leadership at the district.

By many accounts, Lipe and Brown have worked well together during their tenure at VIFR. Lipe, who has been a fire chief since 1992, says their partnership was a successful pairing of opposites, with each man complementing the other’s style.

“It has been the best relationship I have had as a fire chief with a second in command,” he said.

Lipe, who handles the political and financial aspects of the district, had expected that Brown, who handles its operational aspects, would succeed him as chief. Those expectations changed last fall after Brown, alone with his thoughts on a hunting trip in the mountains, decided to leave the fire service. He informed both Lipe and the commissioners of his intentions at the time, he said, and announced the decision to the members of the department last Tuesday.

Despite the change in plans, Lipe voiced full support for Brown’s decision.

“I am thrilled to death for him,” he said.

In a wide-ranging interview following his announcement, Brown said the reasons for him to retire outweighed the reasons to remain, and while he would have liked to have seen some projects through to fruition — including a strategic planning process underway and a proposed plan to combine Vashon’s paramedics with South King County Medic One — those projects will now be in someone else’s hands.

“This is a very good stage for this district to bring in someone new to take it to the next level and complete those plans,” he said.

Brown’s last day is slated for March 22, and after that, he said, he will return with his wife Kim to Idaho, where he intends to spend more time with his family, including their children and grandchildren, travel, build a cabin in the mountains and — as expected by those who know him even a little bit — hunt.

When Brown was hired, he was tasked with changing the culture of the department, and many close to the district note that such a change frequently comes with a cost.

McCullough, who served as a volunteer captain under Brown when he began, termed his tenure “tumultuous” and said she did not care for his leadership style at the time but has come to respect him and his work a great deal.

“From a commissioner’s standpoint, George did a great service for this department. … The direction we have given him, 90 percent of the time, he has exceeded expectations in getting results,” she said. “I respect and appreciate his motivation and work ethic. We benefited because of his creativity and drive.”

Lipe also acknowledged “turbulent” times, and credited Brown with staying and seeing them through, when he could easily have walked away.

“His drive for success was unparalleled. I have never seen anything like it in all my years,” he added.

One of the largest challenges Brown faced came in 2013 when the union issued a vote of no confidence against him, with union leaders expressing frustration with his leadership style and skills. Lipe and the commissioners supported Brown, however, and following an independent investigation, provided him with further training to improve some of his management skills. Now, Brown says, that experience was one of the best things to happen to him because the executive coaching he received allowed him to look at himself in a different way.

“I am proud of the fact that I endured those accusations and continued doing what we do to improve this district,” he added.

Some of the improvements of which he is most proud, he said, include changes to the volunteer program. At the time he began, there was a large number of volunteers, but few regularly responded to calls. Now, although the department continually looks for additional volunteers, the system is much stronger, with a clear schedule maintained and volunteers committing to three shifts a month or nine per quarter plus regular training.

Lipe credits Brown with beginning to make needed changes within his first year and continuing to adjust the system, noting he made additional changes just recently.

“I think we run if not the best, one of the best, volunteer programs in King County, if not the region,” Lipe said. “It is what it is today because of him and the methodology he used.”

An additional significant change Brown began working on when he arrived was the creation of a chain of command and the implementation of officers. Such a system had not previously been in place, and the structure was simply the chief and firefighters and medics, with no mid-level leadership. It was a long process to create a new system, both men said, in part because there had previously been no model for aspiring officers to learn from.Lipe added that at times imposing order and discipline was a difficult change.

Now, the department has four captains and three acting captains, who run much of the district’s daily operations. Captain Josh Dueweke, the vice-president of the Vashon firefighters’ union, noted that several people have benefited from this opportunity for career development, including himself. Going forward, it will be the captains who will carry much of the operational load, he said.

There were some challenging times, Dueweke agreed, adding “I think challenges go hand in hand with growth and change.”

He noted members of the union wish Brown well.

“We wish Chief Brown all the best, a great retirement and thank him for his time and effort with the department,” he said.

Soon to leave, Brown stressed he wanted to thank a host of people: his wife and children, the Vashon community, the fire commissioners, Lipe, the office staff and, of course, the volunteers, career firefighters and medics who serve the community.

“Without them, we would not have made the important changes we have made,” he said.

Brown, whose father was also a firefighter, is closing out a career that began in 1986, when he became a firefighter with the Clarkston Fire Department, serving there as a captain for 14 years. He moved to the Pullman Fire Department in 2005, where he was the deputy chief of training until coming to Vashon in 2009.

Last week in his office at VIFR, with both turbulent times and successes behind him, when asked to give his thoughts about the men and women at the district who will carry it forward, Brown’s response was quick and clear.

“I’m proud of them,” he said.