Bob Eastman was named Fire Chief of South County Fire in 2024.

He started his emergency medical services career in 1984 in his home state of Minnesota.

Chief Eastman completed his paramedic training while serving in the Coast Guard from 1987 to 1991. He also served with the Air National Guard from 1994 to 2017, including a deployment to Iraq in 2007.

Chief Eastman was hired by Snohomish County Fire District 11 as a firefighter/paramedic in 1996 and came up through the ranks as local fire departments consolidated over the years.

He was on the staff leadership team involved in drafting the Regional Fire Authority (RFA) Plan approved by voters in Lynnwood and Snohomish County Fire District 1 to establish South County Fire in 2017. Chief Eastman also played a key role in the annexation of Brier, Mill Creek and Mountlake Terrace to the RFA.

During the pandemic, Chief Eastman was assigned to the county’s emergency operations center where he worked on behalf of fire agencies throughout the county to secure personal protective gear and supplies crucial to maintaining public and firefighter safety. He also helped develop plans to stand up mass vaccination sites.