Fire Chief Bruce A. Stedman of South County Fire announced Wednesday morning that he will be taking a medical leave, effective immediately, and will be officially retiring on Aug. 1.

Stedman joined South County Fire on Oct. 1, 2017, the same day the organization was established as a regional fire authority (RFA) combining Snohomish County Fire District 1 and the Lynnwood Fire Department.

“We thank Chief Stedman for his good work in helping us establish South County Fire. Chief Stedman’s efforts have improved our service delivery to the community and positioned us as leaders in the local emergency response industry,” said Jim Kenny, chair of the SCF Board of Commissioners.

Stedman has served more than 40 years in the fire service. He previously was fire chief of the Arlington Fire Department in north Snohomish County and the Alhambra Fire Department in California.

“I am very proud of this organization and the sheer volume of work that we have accomplished for our agency, our community and our region. I know that the future holds great things for South County Fire and am honored to have been a part of it,” Chief Stedman said in a retirement announcement emailed to all SCF employees this morning.

The SCF Board of Commissioners named Assistant Chief of Operations Doug Dahl to serve as Acting Fire Chief. Dahl started his fire service career in South Snohomish County in 1989 with the Edmonds Fire Department and worked his way through the ranks to his current position. He also serves on a state interagency incident management team that has been deployed regionally and nationally to wildland fires and other major disasters, most recently for Hurricane Michael in Florida.

South County Fire is Snohomish County’s largest provider of fire and emergency medical services. The regional fire authority has more than 300 employees and provides full-time staffing at 14 neighborhood fire stations to serve more than 250,000 residents in Brier, Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace and unincorporated South Snohomish County.