The City of London announced today that Fire Chief John Kobarda will be retiring from his position, effective immediately.
Chief Kobarda has been a member of the London Fire Department for 27 years. He joined the service as a firefighter, progressed through the ranks, served as President of the London Professional Fire Fighters Association, and was appointed Chief in 2004.
“Since the day I joined the department, my focus has been on protecting and serving our community. As many will know, my plan was to retire this year. It has always been my desire to serve the best interests of the Fire Service and the community. With that in mind, I have decided that I will be stepping down today. It has been my honour and privilege to serve London both as a member and as Chief of the Fire Department. ”
“We thank the Chief for the many years of dedicated service he has provided to London and to our Fire Department,” said City Manager Martin Hayward. “Chief Kobarda was instrumental in helping to achieve a settlement for the latest contract with the Fire Association. Under his leadership, the Department has achieved one of the lowest response times in the country and the Department has the proud record of significantly reducing the number of residential fires each year.”
Effective immediately, Lori Hamer will be Acting Fire Chief. A process to recruit for the role will begin immediately.
Source: London Fire Chief Retires
