This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com.
The chief and deputy chief of the South King Fire Department have been placed on administrative leave, according to Brad Chaney, community affairs officer for South King Fire.
Officials are not saying why the movements occurred. However, separate independent studies are being conducted.
According to The Federal Way Mirror, Chief Dave Van Valkenburg and Deputy Lisa Defenbaugh are out until further notice.
After a unanimous vote, Van Valkenburg was placed on leave during the Supervisory Board meeting of December 4. Defenbaugh was placed on leave the next day.
According to his LinkedIn page, Van Valkenburg has been chef for more than two years. He was associated with the Washington State Patrol Fire Academy for the past 28 years.
The board has appointed Deputy Chief Kevin Crossen as acting fire chief.
“Chief Crossen, a 30-year veteran of the South King Fire, is committed to providing steadfast leadership to the communities we serve,” Chaney told the Mirror. “To preserve the integrity of the process, we cannot provide additional details at this time.”
Bill Kaczaraba is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here. Follow Bill on X, formerly known as Twitter, here and email him here.
