South King Fire Chief Dave Van Valkenburg and Deputy Chief Lisa Defenbaugh have been placed on administrative leave.
Van Valkenburg and Defenbaugh were placed on paid administrative leave pending separate and independent investigations, according to Brad Chaney, community affairs officer for South King Fire, which serves Federal Way and Des Moines.
Van Valkenburg was placed on leave after an unanimous vote during the Dec. 4 Board of Commissioners meeting, Chaney said. Defenbaugh was subsequently placed on leave on Dec. 5.
Chaney said to maintain operational leadership, the board has appointed Deputy Chief Kevin Crossen to serve as acting fire chief. Chaney said South King Fire has a long-standing and trusted relationship with the community and remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of accountability and transparency.
“Chief Crossen, a 30-year veteran of the South King Fire, is committed to providing steadfast leadership to the communities we serve,” Chaney said. “To preserve the integrity of the process, we are unable to provide additional details at this time.”
This story will be updated when more details are available.
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