After a 40-year career in the fire service, South Metro Fire Rescue (SMFR) Fire Chief Bob Baker has announced his retirement, effective May 2025.
Baker took the helm of the department 10 years ago, and put the Centennial, CO, agency among the must-watch fire departments for best practices.
"Under Chief Baker's leadership, South Metro has become recognized worldwide for its outstanding service to the community," a statement from the department read. "Only 13 fire departments in the U.S. and Canada are both accredited and rated Class 1 (the highest possible) for insurance purposes while serving a population of over 500,000 people - South Metro is one of those. South Metro’s wellness programs promoting physical and mental well-being of first responders have become known globally as the best such programs anywhere in the world."
A second-generation firefighter, Baker began his career with Parker, CO, Fire Protection District in 1982 where he was in the first group of paid firefighters. He rose through the ranks as the community and department grew and was chief of operations when South Metro and Parker fire districts unified. He continued to serve as operations chief of SMFR until he was named chief in 2014.
When he was interveiwed for Firehouse's Chief's Concerns column, he highlighted the department's health and wellness and firefighter cancer initiatives.
He explained the department's approach to higher education for promotions, including the the need for captain and battalion chief candidates to posses a bachelor’s degrees and district chiefs and above are required to earn a master’s degree.
He wrote, "As I close in on the end of my tenure as fire chief, I often think about what it means to be successful. To me, treating everyone like they are family is a staple that I stand by. If we can continue to nurture the culture that we have embedded within SMFR that we need to take care of one another like they are family, including our community, citizens, and our brothers and sisters at the department, we will continue to be successful."
