Chapel Hill Fire Chief Matt Sullivan is retiring at the end of January. Town Manager Maurice Jones made the announcement in an email on Monday.

Sullivan has been with the Town of Chapel Hill for 32 years, according to the email, after starting with the town as a public safety official when the town’s fire and police departments were one unit.

“Chief Sullivan has been an outstanding leader and ambassador for our organization,” Jones wrote Monday. “He is a true public servant who has served admirably in a variety of roles for the Town over the year.”

Sullivan took over after longtime fire chief Daniel Jones retired in the spring of 2015. Sullivan was named interim fire chief later that year and was elevated to the position on a full-time basis in 2016.

Jones wrote that the search for the next chief of the Chapel Hill Fire Department will begin “in the next couple of weeks” with a goal of hiring a new chief by the end of 2019.

Sullivan’s retirement is effective January 31, 2020.