LEXINGTON, Ky. — Mayor Linda Gorton announced that Fire Chief Jason Wells plans to retire in January after 31 years of service with the Lexington Fire Department.
Gorton praised Wells’ tenure leading the department since his appointment as fire chief in 2021. “Jason has done an incredible job for this city, making it a safer place to live,” Gorton said. “He is leaving a department that has expanded its mission and has grown with the city. He has been great to work with, and we will miss him. But the impact of his leadership will live on through one of the top-ranked fire departments in the nation.”
Under Wells’ leadership, the Lexington Fire Department has undergone significant expansion and growth. The department increased its workforce from 597 to 635 firefighters and has substantially increased its response capacity, handling more than 70,000 runs annually by 2026, compared to 61,846 runs in 2021.
Wells reflected on his time with the department in a statement, noting the broader context of the organization’s long history. “The Lexington Fire Department has stood for over 150 years, proudly serving our great community,” Wells said. “While each of us in the division contributes greatly, we are also just a small part of an amazing, ongoing story. Each retirement provides the opportunity for new leaders to emerge and continue to improve on that story.”
The announcement comes as the city begins the process of identifying Wells’ successor to lead the department into the next phase of its development. The Lexington Fire Department is recognized among the nation’s top-ranked fire departments.
Sources
This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from LFUCG General News. The original source is available at https://www.lexingtonky.gov/news/mayor-announces-fire-chief-wells-plans-retire.
