Fire Chief Resigns

12/8/2025 - Crescent City Fire and Rescue (CCFR) and the Crescent Fire Protection District (CFPD) Fire Chief, Kevin Carey, has submitted his resignation for both departments to City Manager Eric Wier.

It is reported that Chief Carey will move to Fresno to assume the vacant Fire Chief position for the city, where he will earn a substantial raise—approximately $70,000 above his current 2024 salary and benefits package of $232,866.

Chief Carey, a twenty-year fire service veteran, was hired in May 2022. His prior experience includes serving as a Captain with the Torrance Fire Department and, before joining CCFR, working with the Pelican Bay State Prison Fire Department.

During his three-and-a-half-year tenure in Crescent City, Carey expanded the department by adding three mid-level Captain positions.

Retired Fire Chief Bill Gillespie may come out of retirement to serve in an interim capacity while the departments begin the search for a permanent replacement.

By Roger Gitlin