MARYSVILLE — Despite 42 years in the fire service, and 21 years as the fire chief of Marysville, Greg Corn has no real reason for retiring, other than just feeling like it’s time for a change.

“I’d hoped we could get the regional fire authority done before I left, but there have been delays, and I’d already set the date for my retirement,” Corn said. “What I’ll miss most is all the people I’ve worked with over the years. I loved coming into work every day.”

Corn has loved his job even though he wasn’t inspired to become a volunteer firefighter out of any sort of lifelong passion for the fire service. Instead, he simply responded to a call for volunteers when he was 20. But he quickly came to love the profession.

“There haven’t been too many negatives,” Corn said. “Of course, there have been hard times, especially when we’ve responded to critical incidents or lost firefighters, but we know that a component of responding to trauma calls is tragedy.”

Fortunately, only three Marysville fire personnel have died under Corn’s watch, and none were duty-related. They were cancer, a plane accident and a heart attack. Corn emphasized, however, that the fire district still feels those losses intensely.

Corn has seen the Marysville Fire Department and Snohomish County Fire District 12 merge into the Marysville Fire District, which then took over Marysville paramedic services from Cascade Valley Hospital in Arlington.

“We also built two new fire stations without the need for additional funds from the taxpayers,” Corn said. “We just saved our money for big expenditures. That’s how we purchased apparatus without going out to bond, by being fiscally responsible.”

Corn is quick to share credit for the district’s success not only with its personnel, but also the 25 board members, three city administrators and three mayors he’s worked with.

“If I had advice for my successor, it would be to stay connected to the community and the city, and to trust your staff,” Corn said. “They’re quality people who work to ensure citizens receive good service every day.”

Corn’s retirement party will run from 2-4 p.m., with an official presentation at 5 p.m., on Thursday, March 26, in the Station 62 truck bay, at 10701 Shoultes Rd.