City News Service
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — San Diego Fire-Rescue Department Chief Tracy Jarman has joined the rank of dozens of other veteran firefighters who are retiring to lock in better pension benefits, it was reported today.
Jarman’s retirement, which was announced Wednesday, will take effect June 27, but she will remain available to the department for 60-90 days to assist with the transition, according to Mayor Jerry Sanders’ office.
“This was not an easy decision,” Jarman, a 25-year department veteran, said in a statement. “I genuinely love this department and the people I work with, and it has been a great career. I’m proud to have served the citizens of San Diego as their fire chief.”
Jarman, who turns 53 next week, had originally planned to retire in June 2006, the same month former Fire Chief Jeff Bowman announced his retirement. But instead of retiring, Jarman accepted the chief’s position and enrolled in the city’s Deferred Retirement Option Plan, according to The San Diego Union- Tribune.
The plan allows employees to collect five years of retirement pay in an interest-bearing account before leaving the city.
Jarman and up to 100 other veteran firefighters enrolled in the plan are leaving the department now to avoid new terms that take effect June 30. The new terms include a 6 percent cut in compensation and a lower guaranteed rate of return for retirement payouts.
Jarman is the first woman to command the SDFRD. She earns $165,000 annually and will receive a pension of about $10,300 a month, or about $123,600 a year, the Union-Tribune reported.
During her tenure, she helped increase the number of fire stations from 44 to 47, spearheaded the effort to get a second firefighting helicopter and helped replace the department’s aging fleet. She also directed the fight against the 2007 wildfires.
“Chief Jarman has done a tremendous job leading our fire department,” Sanders said. “She is the consummate professional who has worked extremely hard to improve fire service throughout the city and across the region. While I am sad to see her leave, I wish her all the best in retirement.”
Jarman was named the 2008 “Fire Chief of the Year” by the California Fire Chiefs Association.
A national search will be conducted to find Jarman’s replacement, according to the mayor’s office.
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