Pendleton fire chief is retiring

By Terry Murry on Thursday, September 21st, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

PENDLETON – Pendleton Fire Chief Jim Critchley is retiring at the end of October. It’s his second retirement. He came to Pendleton almost four years ago as the retired fire chief of Tucson, Arizona. Assistant Chief Tony Pierotti will take over as chief.

Pendleton City Manager Robb Corbett said that Critchley has had a big influence on Pendleton Fire & Ambulance.

“I can tell you from working with him, he’s done a fantastic job in taking the department to the next level,” Corbett said. “Jim will be missed but Tony, I’m sure, will do an exceptional job.”

Critchley is currently the department’s fire marshal. Corbett said the city is now looking for an assistant fire chief/fire marshal to take up the slack. It would not be unusual for such a person to be promoted from within the department.

“What I really appreciate about the culture there is we’re building leaders of the future,” he said. “We have a lot of young people in the department and they’re aspiring to do that. I’m really excited about the future of the department.