photo by: Mike Yoder

Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical Chief Shaun Coffey

The leader of Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical will retire at the end of the year, the City of Lawrence announced Friday in a news release.

Chief Shaun Coffey has served the department since 1985. He was appointed as interim chief in 2018 and became the permanent chief in 2019 after a national search to fill the position.

“It has been an honor to serve the community and this department,” Coffey said in the news release. He also said he was proud of the recent developments at the department, including the creation of the Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical and Lawrence Strategic Plan.

As chief, Coffey oversees 150 employees who work out of seven facilities. Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical responded to 12,659 incident calls in 2020 and 12,397 calls so far in 2021.

“It’s hard to imagine how many people have benefited and how many lives were saved as a result of Chief Coffey’s exemplary 36-year career serving our community,” City Manager Craig Owens said in the news release. “While his technical and management skills are exemplary, I think his honesty, integrity, personability and humor will be missed the most. We all think highly of Shaun. He will be missed, and we wish him the best.”

Coffey became interim chief, then chief, after former Chief Mark Bradford died in July 2018 at age 58. Bradford had served as chief since 2005.

Owens will announce an interim chief before the end of the year, according to the news release. The City will also seek a recruitment firm to lead the search for Coffey’s replacement, which is expected to begin in January.