New Eastside Fire and Rescue fire chief to take office Feb. 11

Eastside Fire and Rescue serves the communities of Issaquah, Sammamish, North Bend, King County Fire Districts 10 and 38.

By Reporter Staff • February 2, 2016 3:25 pm

Come next week, Eastside Fire and Rescue will officially have a new fire chief.

Jeff Clark, of Chandler, Arizona, will take the oath of office next week at the Eastside Fire board meeting Feb. 11 at 4 p.m.

Eastside Fire and Rescue serves the communities of Issaquah, Sammamish, North Bend, King County Fire Districts 10 and 38.

“I am honored to serve the citizens of the Eastside communities as part of the highly successful EF&R team,” Clark said in a press release. “In the months to come I look forward to meeting with citizens, community groups and business leaders to learn how to further meet the needs of the communities we serve.”

For the last seven years, Clark has been the fire chief in Chandler, which is more than 1,400 miles south of Issaquah and has a population of about 250,000 people. He began his career there as a firefighter and paramedic in 1991.

Clark, 47, had served as the fire chief for the Chandler County Island Fire District, which provides emergency response to county islands within the city’s boundaries.

Additionally, Clark was the city’s assistant city manager for three years. He oversaw neighborhood resources and the IT departments.

He has an associate of applied science and fire science from Mesa Community College, a bachelor’s degree in public safety administration from Grand Canyon University and a master of administration from Northern Arizona University.