The city of St. Petersburg announced on Thursday that Fire Chief James Large will retire in March after half a century of public service. Large was with St. Petersburg Fire Rescue for 50 years, serving as chief for 18 of those years. He is officially set to retire on March 1, 2024. "I'm humbled and honored to have dedicated my entire 50-year career to serving the City of St. Petersburg - it has been a long journey filled with so many memorable moments and personal experiences," Large said in a statement. During his career, Large implemented a fire cadet program, instituted three COVID-19 strike team units and obtained accreditation and ISO Class 1 designation for the department. The chief also established a behavioral mental health program "to help reduce the risk of post-traumatic stress and suicide within the fire service," the city wrote in its announcement. MORE: https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pinellascounty/st-pete-fire-chief-james-large-retiring/67-7ca5fa55-5c52-4325-807c-4f88902b7b38 ►Subscribe: https://on.wtsp.com/youtube ►Website: https://www.wtsp.com/ ►Facebook: https://facebook.com/10TampaBay ►Twitter: https://twitter.com/10TampaBay