The Associated Press
HONOLULU- Honolulu Fire Chief Attilio Leonardi is set to announce tomorrow that he will step down January 15th.
Leonardi is completing a two-year extension of service as chief. He actually retired at the end of 2003, but remained on the job in an acting capacity to avoid losing retirement benefits.
The Honolulu Fire Commission is to announce that it will begin the search for a new fire chief. The process is to begin Sunday with newspaper advertisements that will list qualifications and a call for applications.
Leonardi has been with the fire department for 35 years and has been chief for the past seven years.
Leonardi has said his pension package peaked in 2003, meaning that if he kept working he would begin to incrementally lose money from his retirement pay each year that he continued on the job.