After 36 years in the fire service, the last four as chief of the Bellevue Fire Department, Mario H. Treviño is retiring. He officially stepped down March 29, after a six-month absence for cancer treatment. Although the treatment has gone well, he has not made the full recovery needed to return to work.

"This has been a difficult medical challenge, especially because it brought my retirement sooner than I expected," said Treviño. "It is surreal that, after all these years, I will not be putting on my uniform and going to work."
 
Treviño began his career with the Seattle Fire Department in 1973, rising to the rank of deputy fire chief.  In 1996 he became fire chief in Las Vegas and led that department until 2001. He then moved on to serve as fire chief in San Francisco before coming to Bellevue in 2004.

Chief Treviño led the Bellevue Fire Department through many notable accomplishments, including re-accreditation in 2008, relocation of fire headquarters to the new City Hall in 2006 and the addition of almost 30 staff members in response to downtown growth. Most of the additional staff serve as first-response firefighters, increasing fire and medical aid service throughout the city.

Deputy Chief Mike Eisner has been appointed to serve as the interim fire chief. Eisner has served 35 years with the department, the past 17 as deputy chief. The city is not yet ready to announce plans for a permanent fire chief appointment.

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