Stephen Leinoff, the new fire chief in Norwich, Vt., at the Norwich Fire Station on Sept. 7, 2008. Leinoff is the town's first full-time fire chief. (Valley News - Jeffrey Porter) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.
Stephen Leinoff, the new fire chief in Norwich, Vt., at the Norwich Fire Station on Sept. 7, 2008. Leinoff is the town's first full-time fire chief. (Valley News - Jeffrey Porter) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. Credit: Valley News file photograph

Norwich — Fire Chief Steve Leinoff says he will retire in March after 40 years as a firefighter in Vermont.

“I will be 65 in February,” Leinoff said on Tuesday, “and so with 40 years of service in the Upper Valley, with the greatest job in the world, it is time to retire.”

In a letter to the town manager, Leinoff, who has served as chief in Norwich since 2008, said March 9 would be his last day of work. Before Norwich, he worked at the Hartford Fire Department for decades, and before that he was a firefighter in Montpelier.

“I’m proud to have been associated for so many years with so many dedicated people who, just as a matter of routine, go about their business helping others,” he said.

Having served as a Vermont state instructor since 1980, Leinoff has trained many firefighters and, he said, watched them “go well beyond me. I feel every one of them is part of my legacy.”

Another part of his legacy will be his participation in the planning and execution of the new fire and police facility, he said.

Leinoff lives in Wilder, and he said he plans to stay in the area after retirement.

At the time of his resignation, he was making about $65,000 annually for a three-quarter time position, according to Town Manager Herb Durfee.