Farewell Chief Olson

A 19-year-old pulled over and given a Breathalyzer may not amount to major news, but the pending retirement of Duane Olson, Huntington Beach’s fire chief for seven years and a department member for 39, certainly does.

Olson, 53, told the Independent this week that he hadn’t initially dreamed of being a firefighter, starting out as a lifeguard for the city. He first joined the department to support his family while aiming to get into another service.

His track record over the last four decades, though, shows that the boots and hat turned out to be a natural fit.

Under Olson’s leadership, the department successfully followed a five- to seven-year plan, improved emergency response times and, in 2004, earned its first Class One rating from the Insurance Services Office, a company that keeps tabs on risk statistics for the insurance industry. His colleagues praised him as a “hard charger” and a model of steadiness and professionalism. That’s no small praise for someone who oversees a city of more than 200,000 people.

Olson expressed a heavy heart in stepping down, but with all his goals either achieved or in motion, he wanted to go out on a high note.

“I don’t think there is ever a good time to retire, but I really think there is a right time to retire, and for me, both personally and professionally, it is the right time to retire,” Olson said.

We’ve trusted Olson’s judgment in the past, so we’ll trust it now. As he prepares to depart, we wish him a happy retirement and congratulate him on a job well done. And we wish his successor luck in filling those boots.