The Maple Valley Fire and Life Safety Board of Commissioner selected Aaron Tyerman as the next fire chief following the retirement of Fire Chief Brad Doerflinger.

After a national search the field of candidates was narrowed down to five candidates. Doerflinger said Tyerman was the only candidate from the region. He is currently a deputy chief for King County Medic One.

“There were only two candidates I was excited about and he (Tyerman) was one of them,” Doerflinger said. He said Tyerman should be a very good fit for the fire district.

According to information provided by Doerflinger, Tyerman has been in emergency services for the last 19 years. After working in the field for 12 years, he was promoted to division chief in charge of special operations and finally to deputy chief. He has more than seven years of experience at the chief level. He has also been a contract instructor delivering emergency medical service curriculum at the National Fire Academy since 2014.

Tyerman has a Bachelor of Science degree in paramedicine from Central Washington University, Paramedic Certification from the University of Washington School of Medicine, and he is a current candidate for the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy.

Brad Doerflinger

The 57-year-old Doerflinger took the fire chief reins over in 2009. He has been with Maple Valley Fire and Life Safety for 37 years including seven years as chief.

He began his fire service career in 1980 as a volunteer for Fire District 25, which covered the east Renton plateau. He worked as a volunteer for three years before getting hired by Maple Valley Fire and Life Safety.

Doerflinger took over the chief position of Fire District 43 during a time of considerable controversy. He was able to work with the board to settle the storm. Doerflinger guided the department through the Great Recession years when assessed values plummeted and the district was forced to layoff personnel. In 2013 the district, led by Doerflinger, was able to pass a maintenance of operations levy by 64 percent.

Doerflinger’s official retirement date is Dec. 31. He said for January he will work part time until February when Tyerman takes over the department.