Lake Oswego Fire Chief Larry Goff 'involuntarily dismissed'

City Manager says former Police Chief Don Johnson will replace Goff, who says he was fired for opposing possible cuts

Lake Oswego Fire Chief Larry Goff announced Tuesday morning that he has been "involuntarily dismissed" by City Manager Scott Lazenby.

Lazenby confirmed that decision a couple of hours later, saying he was appointing former Police Chief Don Johnson to replace Goff and that Assistant Chief David Morris would serve as acting chief in the interim.

"This decision in no way diminishes the value of Larry Goff's 36 years of service within the fire department, including most recently a major emphasis on the city's ability to respond to emergencies," Lazenby said. "Don Johnson's leadership in the Lake Oswego Police Department resulted in what I consider to be one of the best, highest-performing police departments in the State of Oregon, and I believe he will have the same positive influence on our fire department."

Lazenby's decision comes as City staff — with the direction of the City Council — looks for ways to cut costs at the fire department. Among the options: reducing staffing and closing the City's South Shore Fire Station, which serves the Palisades, Hallinan, Glenmorrie, Skylands and McVey-South Shore neighborhoods.

In an email sent to LOFD staff, Goff claimed he "would not support the city manager's plan to close South Shore Fire Station," which resulted in his removal. But Lazenby — who announced Tuesday night that he planned to retire from his own job next summer — told The Review that while the City Council did direct him to explore options to keep the fire department on a financially sustainable track in October, no options have been discussed at this point or presented to the council.

According to Lazenby, the hiring and firing of department heads is solely the responsibility of the city manager.

"It is always the prerogative of the city manager to change leadership at the department-head level. I give department heads wide latitude in how they run their departments, but I do hold them accountable for their decisions," Lazenby told The Review. "When in September Larry Goff gave me his formal notice to retire effective Dec. 31, I felt it provided a good opportunity for new leadership and had discussions with Don Johnson on stepping in. Larry subsequently withdrew his decision to retire, but knowing that department heads have a generous severance package, I chose to proceed with the change in leadership."

In his farewell email to staff, Goff said that he's proud to have served with the LOFD for more than three decades. He said his last day with the department would be Dec. 31.

"It's been an honor to serve the Lake Oswego community and our contract districts with all of you," Goff wrote. "I am inspired by the commitment you show to providing fire, emergency medical, water rescue, hazardous materials, prevention and emergency management services 24 hours a day. Your dedication to professional service and compassionate care of our citizens is a source of pride for me. The Lake Oswego Fire Department is second to none. It has been my privilege to be your chief."

In an email Tuesday, Lazenby said many people are familiar with Johnson's law enforcement credentials, "but he also has significant experience in fire service, including seven years in a fire chief role."

Johnson was hired by Sunnyvale Public Safety — an integrated police and fire organization in Northern California — in 1979. He attended both police and fire academies in 1980 and was certified as a firefighter and police officer upon graduation. In Sunnyvale, he held a variety of roles within the police division and served as a fire station lieutenant, a fire battalion chief and chief of public safety before coming to Lake Oswego.

Johnson, who retired from the LOPD earlier this year, will begin work as fire chief on Jan. 9.

"In the interim, I have asked Assistant Chief David Morris to serve as Acting Fire Chief," Lazenby said. "Chief Morris has managed the day-to-day operations of the department for the past three years, and will continue to play a key role in the leadership of the department."

On its Facebook page, Clackamas County Professional Firefighters Local 1159 urged Lake Oswego residents to voice their concerns by calling Lazenby or attending Tuesday's City Council meeting, even though the issue wasn't on the agenda.

Nearly 100 people, including IAFF Local #1159 President Karl Koenig, showed up at the meeting, using the public comment period to oppose the closure of the South Shore station.

"The citizens we serve intuitively know that less is not more. It's just not. Having fewer firefighters on duty anywhere is a travesty," Koenig told the council. Earlier in the day, the union said the LOFD has seen an increase of 11 percent in emergency calls to the community in 2018 — almost 500 more calls than in 2017.

"Minutes count," Koenig said. "Have a stroke and don't have people there to take care of someone. A house fire or a commercial fire, where propagation clerks tell us the size of that fire doubles every minute. We can't afford to do less."

Lake Oswego Review Editor Gary M. Stein contributed to this story. Contact reporter Sam Stites at 503-479-2375 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..