Bellevue Firefighter Retires After 25 Years With The Department

BELLEVUE, WA — Firefighter Pat Nipert is retiring from the Bellevue Fire Department after 25 years serving the city and a public safety career spanning more than four decades.

The Bellevue Fire Department announced the retirement on Monday, shortly after the NORCOM dispatch center recounted his career highlights over the radio.

According to the city, Nipert began his public service at the age of 16 as a volunteer firefighter, becoming a career firefighter five years later in 1985. A decade after that, he joined Bellevue Fire and completed a paramedic training program at the University of Washington in 1998.

One year later, Nipert would become Bellevue's Wildland Fire Coordinator, a position he held until his retirement. In that role, he provided training to recruits and veterans alike and taught firefighting courses to fire departments across the county.

The city credits Nipert for assuring all units in the city carry hand tools, hose packs, web gear and fire shelters to ensure crews can fight any fire in both urban and wildland fires. He also received two awards for mountain rescues and was named Firefighter of the Year by his colleagues in 2010.

According to the city's announcement, retirement will allow Nipert to devote more time to his other interests, including writing and music.

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