Hoquiam fire chief Paul Dean has announced he will retire effective Oct. 1, after nearly 38 years of service.

“It’s been a great ride, a great place to work,” he told the Hoquiam City Council at the end of its Monday meeting.

Dean joined the department in 1980 after working in the local timber industry and as a firefighter at McChord Air Force Base. In Hoquiam he served as a firefighter and paramedic. In 1989 he was selected as The Daily World Firefighter of the Year and in 2002 was named assistant chief, a title he held for 10 years before becoming chief in November of 2012 after the retirement of Ray Pumphrey.

“I have a real long honey-do list,” he quipped before thanking the City Council and staff for the steps they have made to strengthen the city’s emergency services.