Retirement is Grand!

The Fire Chief Has Retired!

(Jim Ashcraft, President of the RSFFD Board of Directors honors Nick.)

It's official! Nick has retired after 35+ years in the fire service. He started as a paid call volunteer "fireman" in Pismo Beach, California, while attending Cal Poly State University, in the mid 70's. He soon discovered he had found what he wanted to do with his life. After working with Pismo for about 3 1/2 years, and much testing with several fire departments, he was hired by the Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District in San Diego County, after we were married.
So we moved to Encinitas the month before he started at the "Ranch," and "the rest is history" as they say.

He was the first Fire Chief of the RSFPD to have gone through all the ranks: fireman (now called firefighter), engineer, lieutenant, captain, Training Officer, Fire Marshall, Deputy Chief of Operations, and lastly the Fire Chief. He spent almost 20 years of his career as a chief officer.

(Nick, DennyNeville, friend, MC and fellow retired Deputy Chief, his wife, Kandi and Karen)

To say he was well respected in his profession would be an understatement. One might think I am prejudiced. But those who were at his retirement party were witnesses to the honor his professional peers and friends paid to him!(Tony Michel, friend and new fire chief of RSFFD and Nick)

He dedicated his life to serving others. He always gave his all when he was on the job. We are so proud of him and his accomplishments!The Battalion chiefs and Nick; from l to r: Gary Snavely, retired, Jim Sturtevant, Fred Cox, Mike Gibbs
and Bret Davidson)

Check out all the pictures we have of this big event and Nick's fire career on my flickr page:

Nick's Fire Career: http://www.flickr.com/photos/72308330@N00/sets/72157624595026485/

Nick's Retirement Celebration: http://www.flickr.com/photos/72308330@N00/sets/72157625553609249/