Bothell’s new fire chief hails from Everett

BOTHELL – The city of Bothell will have a new fire chief as of Sept. 1.

Warren Burns, 47, is the assistant fire chief and fire marshal for Everett.

“It was a very difficult decision to make because I was born and raised in Everett,” Burns said. “But it’s an opportunity for me to push my career as a leader, to step out from my comfort zone and to test my limit.”

Burns will earn an annual base salary ranging from $97,284 to $123,408.

Bothell city manager Bob Stowe said the city is looking for an individual who has a strong vision to improve the department.

Burns’ 24-year experience and his straightforward communication style made him the top choice out of 42 applicants.

Ron Zsigmondovics, 48, has been the interim fire chief for the past three years. He did not apply for the fire chief position. The reason, he explained, is about timing.

“It has been a great opportunity and learning experience for me,” he said. “But this job has taken away my ability to be with my family as much as I was able to before. Everybody has their priority. To me, it’s my family.”

Zsigmondovics has two children, 14 and 16. He said he would have applied for the position if they both had graduated from high school. He will return his previous position as a deputy fire chief.

Stowe said Bothell was considering the possibility of merging or annexing its fire service with neighboring departments. The council instead decided that Bothell should continue to have its own fire department.

“The question whether to retain the fire service locally needed to be answered before we hired for a new chief,” he said. “Now, we can certainly move forward.”

Everett Fire Chief Murray Gordon said the department is at the early stage to determine what the eligibility and requirements will be for people who want to apply for Burns’ position.

“It will be difficult for us to replace his experience,” Gordon said. “Someone from our staff has been selected as the fire chief at the other department. I have a feeling of pride and also a feeling that I will miss him.”

Reporter Tieh-Pai Chen: 425-339-3432 or pchen@heraldnet.com.