Newport Fire chief chosen

Long Beach Fire Department Deputy Chief of Operations Steve Lewis will take over the Newport Beach Fire Department on Nov. 13, Newport officials announced Friday.

Lewis, 54, replaces longtime Newport Fire Chief Tim Riley, who will retire at the end of November after 15 years as head of the department. Lewis will earn a salary of $160,000.

Officials chose Lewis from among 65 applicants because he had a combination of qualities that will benefit the city, Newport Beach City Manager Homer Bludau said.

“He is a real seasoned fire professional,” Bludau said. “He’s had experience with the lifeguard service, [and] he’s got human relations skills, people skills.”

Lewis, a Huntington Beach resident, has 25 years of fire department experience, most of those years in Long Beach. He now oversees 23 fire stations and manages an operations budget of $68 million, and he said he knows Newport Beach.

“I thought that’d be like a capstone for my career to go down there and work for what I think is one of the best departments around,” Lewis said.

When Lewis comes to Newport, it will be important for him to get to know the various homeowners associations and other groups in the city, said Capt. Jeff Boyles, president of the Newport Beach Firefighters Assn.

“I would say that he’s stepping into a culture that really fosters a high level of service to the community,” Boyles said.

Boyles and two other association members sat in on the interviews with the four finalists for the chief’s job and they developed the best rapport with Lewis, he said.

Riley said he liked Lewis’ “zest for life” and energy. The two will work together for about a week before Riley officially retires Nov. 27.

Bludau said he asked Lewis to commit to five years with the department before retiring, and Lewis agreed.

Both Bludau and Boyles said although they’re looking forward to the start of Lewis’ tenure, Riley will be missed.

“I think he [Riley] deserves a lot of credit for his commitment to the fire service and his professionalism,” Boyles said.

Attempts to reach Lewis on Friday were unsuccessful.