Next month, the Joplin Fire Department will be under new leadership for the first time since 2015. KRPS’s Fred Fletcher-Fierro has more.

Joplin Fire Chief Jim Furgerson announced Tuesday that he would retire from the department effective Monday, June 7. Furgerson has been with the city for 20 years and became Chief in 2015. He joined the department in 2001, was promoted to Battalion Chief in 2010, and Deputy Fire Chief in 2014.

Joplin City Manager Nick Edwards said in a press release announcing Furgerson’s retirement, quote in part,“The Fire Department has accomplished a great deal under his leadership. His career spans several milestones within the community. He worked for ongoing recruitment and retention of public safety staff through Proposition B passage and initiated strategic planning and resource allocation study.” unquote. Furgerson’s retirement from Joplin doesn’t mean that he’ll quit working; he’s accepted a position with Missouri’s State Emergency Management Agency or (SEMA). The city plans to name an interim fire chief in the upcoming weeks and begin the search process for a permanent replacement later this year. For KRPS, I’m Fred Fletcher-Fierro in Webb City