"I am honored to have had the chance to serve the citizens of this county," he said. "I also want to express my appreciation to the members of this department who prove they are the best of the best every day in service to the citizens of Anne Arundel County."

Appointed to take over as the county's ninth fire chief starting Oct. 1 is Deputy Chief J. Robert Ray, a 52-year-old Arnold resident who has served in the department since 1977. His last job was as director of the department's Logistics Bureau.

As chief, he will command a staff of more than 1,700 career and volunteer firefighters as well as civilian personnel and manage an annual operating budget of $100 million, according to county Fire Department officials.

The department is responsible for protecting more than half a million people who visit, work and live in Anne Arundel. The position is his second as a head of a county department, officials said. In 2002, Chief Ray led the Department of Inspections and Permits.

In his more than 30 years with the county, Chief Ray has worn many hats - and helmets. He has served as company grade officer, command level officer, and deputy chief. He has served on incident-management teams for the Olympics and has worked with the Secret Service on Presidential details. He is a longtime member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the National Fire Academy Alumni Association and the National Society of Executive Fire Officers. And in 1997, the new chief served as president of the Maryland Arson Investigators Association.

Chief Stokes, 51, said Chief Ray brings "a scope of breadth of experience that reflects his commitment to excellence in leadership."

He told Chief Ray this morning the position is a tough job, "but this is a fun job."

Chief Ray acknowledged there would be challenges ahead in tough economic times, but is excited about the position.

"I feel like a very lucky guy," he said. "This has been a dream of mine for a very long time, and it's finally coming true."

He said Chief Stokes has been "great to work for" and has left the department in great shape to take over, leaving big shoes to fill.

In just more than a year as leader of the county Fire Department, Chief Stokes said he has accomplished many of the goals he set forth for himself and the department.

By ushering in several money-saving plans in his first 6 months on the job, the chief was able to get the department under its multimillion-dollar budget for fiscal 2007 - something the department hadn't done in more than a decade. The department is predicted to come under budget again for fiscal 2008, said Battalion Chief Matthew Tobia, a county Fire Department spokesman.

This was in addition to controlling costs by scrutinizing all expenditures, purchases and overtime requests.

He also promoted Michele DeLalla to be the county Fire Department's first female division chief last year.

And by shuffling employees, further educating firefighters and equipping fire engines with paramedic equipment, the chief has led the department to decrease paramedic response times in the past year.

Before he leaves, Chief Stokes said he hopes to have a new automated external defibrillator program instituted that will, with the assistance of a nonprofit organization, increase the number of the lifesaving devices in public places throughout the county.

Heartbreaking decision

Situated in a simple frame atop a filing cabinet in county Fire Department headquarters, a faded photograph shows a smiling 7-year-old boy behind the wheel of a fire truck. The helmet on the boy's head - his father's - is too large, and is tilted just over the eyebrows of the grinning youth.

"That's me in that picture - me and my brothers," said Chief Stokes. "My father was the volunteer chief in Eastport when I was growing up. When he found out I was (appointed) chief, he sent it to me."

Chief Stokes said he never expected to be chief of the county Fire Department.

Before being appointed by County Executive John R. Leopold in November 2006, Chief Stokes was counting the days until his retirement date. His family, who he admits has always been put second after his job, was anxiously awaiting his departure so they could spend quality time with him.

Then one Thursday, he got an unexpected call from the county executive asking him to consider heading the Fire Department.

"I wasn't campaigning for the job, but Leopold had gotten my name from several people," he said. "...I told him I wasn't sure about that job. I'd seen some good folks come out of that job and they were beaten up pretty badly."

Chief Stokes told Mr. Leopold he'd think about it, and took the weekend to ponder the idea. He told his wife, Joanne, and his three children about the offer, and said it could mean they'd see him "beaten up by the newspaper pretty bad" from time to time.

He got his family's approval, and the following Monday told Mr. Leopold he would take the position of chief.

In February, the chief quietly retired as planned, and following protocol, took a month off the job. His photographs were taken from all county buildings.

After taking the required time off, he was in a sense "rehired" by the county executive and returned to the job.

But it is county policy that anyone returning after retirement could not collect both their pension and full salary. So, after he returned to the job five months ago, he was put on the payroll at half his $135,000 a year rate.

He said the decision to return after February "reflects his commitment to the department."

"But from an economic standpoint, it didn't make sense," he said.

The bottom line, he said, is that he could make half his salary's worth of money by retiring and collecting his pension. After he retires, he can draw his pension and find a job outside of the county where he can get a full salary on top of that, he said.

Chief Stokes said deciding to retire was "the hardest decision I ever had to make."

"I've been fighting it in my mind for 45 days," he said. "For 35 years, I've been married to this department. It broke my heart to make this decision."

The chief said he's had a couple of job offers, but hasn't decided on anything. After his Oct. 1 retirement, he said he plans to take at least a couple of months off to spend with his wife and family.

But after that, he'll have to get moving.

"I can't sit around and do nothing," he said.

His next job will likely not be involved in any fire departments. He said the job is the "best in the world" but that firefighters "see a lot of things you shouldn't see in life" and that it is easy to get burned out. He'd like to find something outside firefighting, he said.

"But, never say never," he said with a smile.

Chief Stokes had some advice for the future fire chief.

"I think they need to take control of expenses," he said. "And work with the volunteers (firefighters) and the union. They both bring something to the table."

And when making a decision, "always do what's best for the taxpayers," he said.