Lewis County Fire District 5 in Napavine will host a meet-and-greet with the top two candidates for the department’s vacant fire chief position from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 13.
The event will take place at the LCFD 5 station at 105 Second St. SE in Napavine.
Gregg Peterson, who retired as chief of LCFD 5 in 2016, has been serving as interim chief since the district terminated its contract with Brent Adams in April 2024.
Adams was hired in January 2024 to replace former LCFD 5 Chief Dan Mahoney after the district’s board of commissioners voted to terminate Mahoney’s contract “without cause” in June 2023, according to previous Chronicle reporting.
Peterson served as interim chief from the end of Mahoney’s contract in June 2023 to Adams’ hiring in January of 2024.
Mahoney was hired as chief in 2019 and served in the position for nearly four years.
The two finalists, with biographies provided by LCFD 5, are:
• Jonathan Beck: Beck has 35 years of fire service experience. He was deputy chief for South Whidbey Fire/EMS in Washington for 19 years until his retirement in November 2023. Prior to that, he was with Washington State University Fire Services for 11 years, serving in roles including fire officer II/captain/EMT/EMS and communications officer. Beck’s experience in Washington also includes a total of 12 years as a volunteer firefighter for Whitman County Fire District 12, Lewis County Fire District 14 and Lewis County Fire District 12. He has completed college coursework in electrical engineering, political science, public administration and fire science.
• Christopher Gibbons: Gibbons has over 39 years of public safety experience. He retired as the fire chief for the Bismarck Fire Protection District in Missouri, having served the district from 1985 to 2014. After his retirement, he served for 10 years as a first responder for Central Crossing Fire Protection District in Missouri. He has recently worked with a private ambulance firm as an EMT for a year. Gibbons has also recently become an author for the Clarion Fire Rescue Group, whose publications include the Journal of Emergency Medical Services, Fire Engineering Magazine, Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment and Firefighter Nation. He is a graduate of the St. Louis County Fire Academy.
