NWFR fire chief resigns

By Stefanie Donahue

William Pernett, fire chief of North Whatcom Fire and Rescue (NWFR), announced his resignation to fire commissioners at a

special meeting on October 10.

“I just want to pursue other opportunities,” he said to The Northern Light in a phone interview, emphasizing there were no other reasons behind the decision. He added, “I plan to stay [in Whatcom County].”

Pernett was sworn into the position in 2015. He moved to Whatcom County from Tucson, Arizona in 2014 to serve as the district’s division chief of operations. He brought an estimated 25 years of firefighting experience to the position.

The commission will hold a work session at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 18 at Station 61, 9408 Odell Road, to discuss the budget and hear a presentation from a recruiting agency seeking to contract with NWFR to find a new fire chief, said division chief of operations Henry Hollander.

Pernett’s last day is December 31.