El Segundo Fire Chief David Sloan will retire April 15 and take a job in the private sector, he said last week.
Sloan, 55, said his retirement is not related to a no-confidence vote from El Segundo firefighters last fall.
"I had originally planned to leave after five years, and it will be five years next month," said Sloan, who plans to work with his son, a real estate appraiser in Seal Beach.
Sloan, who came to El Segundo after 29 years in the Los Angeles Fire Department, believes he has improved fire service in the city.
He pointed to his accomplishments, including ordering three state-of-the-art fire engines, creating a position for an environmental safety officer and streamlining the way the department checks building plans.
But firefighters accused him of being a "totalitarian" who did not listen to them, and indicated that they had no confidence in his management style in a September vote.
