County Fire South Desert Division Chief Paul Summers marked the end of a 37-year fire service career with a well-attended luncheon, ceremony and celebration on December 5, 2007.

At the luncheon, held at the Helen Gray Education Center in Joshua Tree, Summers was surrounded by fire department colleagues, family and friends from other agencies in the Morongo Valley and Colorado River areas of the sprawling division, where he had served as Division Chief since 2005.

It was plain from the generally festive mood, marked by occasional tears, that Summers had become a popular figure in the division. He received special gifts and awards from other fire agencies, community groups and even from the U.S. National Park Service.

Summers joined County Fire in 2001 after retiring from the Fountain Valley, Calif., Fire Department. He began his fire service career as a seasonal firefighter with the California Department of Forestry. In 1977, he joined the Fountain Valley Fire Department as a Battalion Chief and served as Fire Marshal and Interim Chief before retiring in 2001. He then joined the San Bernardino County Fire Department as a Battalion Chief. He was named Division Chief in 2005.

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