Desk cleaned. Boxes packed. Salad consumed.
It was an easygoing last day for Chief John Traylor, closing out his second gig atop the Coronado Fire Department.
The veteran of 44 years of fire service gave up his post at noon Friday to new Chief Mike Blood. Traylor hosted well wishers before sitting down to a luncheon with the staff he's managed for the last two years.
But instead of a catered affair, he asked for a lunch of taco salad prepared by firefighters in the Orange Avenue station.
Traylor headed the department, which includes 33 firefighters, in addition to lifeguards and a small administrative staff, for eight years total, from 1997-2003 and 2009-2011.
“I'm honored, humbled and very appreciative of the opportunity to serve this community not only once, but actually twice,” he said. “I'll always cherish my relationship with the community of Coronado.”
The Clairemont native worked stints in the Air Force's fire service before joining the El Cajon Fire Department, where he stayed until beating out about a dozen candidates for the Coronado chief job. He consulted with the Solana Beach department, among others, during his first retirement.
Now he has a trip to Hawaii scheduled with wife Lynn and few other plans for the summer, other than enjoying his time off. But don't count the restless Traylor out of the employment picture just yet.
"I'm retiring from the city of Coronado Fire Department. I don't know if I'm finished working or not,” he said.
