St. Matthews fire chief to retire after over 40 years

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A St. Matthews fire chief is calling it a career after 44 years of service.

William Seng began as a volunteer back in 1978 before making it his full-time career in 1986.

After becoming chief in 1993, Seng helped grow the department from a staff of 17 to over 90 full-time firefighters.

St. Matthews Mayor Richard Tonini spoke about the chief on Thursday.

"Most of the people who live in this community know him because he made himself very available and he has got a great personality for meeting people," Tonini said. "But his main task is doing his job and doing what is necessary to protect the people of the fire district and fire districts around us."

Seng is scheduled to officially retire on Aug. 1 and according to Mayor Tonini, he's looking forward to spending more time with his grandchildren.