A 22-year Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue firefighter and EMT will take the helm as the department's next chief starting July 1.
Assistant Chief Jay Christian has been selected by the CKFR board of commissioners as the fire district's chief, replacing retiring Chief John Oliver, according to a press release.
Oliver has served as chief since December 2018 and previous to that served as deputy chief for three years. Oliver spent the majority of his career at the Clackamas Fire District #1 in Oregon, retiring from there and coming to CKFR as a deputy chief to former chief Scott Weninger, also a transplant from Clackamas. Weninger served as chief of CKFR for six years before retiring in 2018.
Oliver will retire from firefighting once he leaves his position, according to CKFR.