Columbus Fire Chief Randy Koehn announced he will retired July 30.
Koehn, a Columbus native, has served as the fire chief in Columbus for 12 years and spent over 46 years working at both the Columbus and Beaver Dam fire departments.
“I’ve been thinking about it for several months,” Koehn said. “I gave it a lot of thought and decided it was time.”
Koehn said the Columbus Police and Fire Commission will start searching for his replacement, and he asked for the new chief’s start date to overlap with his time as chief for a smooth transition.
“Chief Koehn will be sorely missed by the city of Columbus, however, his retirement is great news for him and his family, and is very well deserved,” Columbus City Administrator Kyle Ellefson said. “Koehn brought many years of experience to the department, but more importantly he helped develop a great sense of respect and pride throughout the department and the community. Randy’s calm presence and ability to work easily with everyone was invaluable. We wish him all the best in his retirement.”