Marion Fire Chief and former Wareham Police Chief Tom Joyce announced his intention to retire via a letter to Selectmen dated Jan. 14, saying the decision came with “mixed emotions.”

Joyce said in the letter he plans to retire on or near June 30.

Marion Selectmen discussed the letter at the board’s Tuesday night meeting, where they praised Joyce for six years of leadership that featured difficult and controversial decisions.

Joyce’s push to change the ambulance service from an on-call department to one staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week was a career highlight, Selectmen said.

Despite his initial skepticism, Selectman Jody Dickerson said the move was a success.

“I was really hesitant that the twenty-four seven coverage wasn't going to work,” Dickerson said. “And it did. I’ve heard great things from townspeople and he should be commended for that.”

Since then, emergency response times have dropped with the additional staff. Joyce acted with the department’s and town’s interest in mind. At the time, the ambulance service was in danger of losing its license to operate because state response guidelines were not being met using the on-call model.

Town Administrator Paul Dawson said he would miss working with Joyce.

“He has certainly stayed at the helm there and weathered some storms for sure,” Dawson said. “A lot of good things have happened there.”

In his retirement letter, Joyce wrote, “The Marion Fire Department was, is and will continue to be one of the best examples of an on-call full service fire agency in all of New England. Upon my retirement, I will have had the privilege of serving with some of the finest firefighters this country has to offer.”

“If we can find another chief that was as good as he was, we’ll be in very good shape,” Chair John Henry said.

Before he was Marion’s Fire Chief, Joyce was a longtime member of the Wareham Police Department. He joined the force in 1976 and served as Wareham's Police Chief for 20 years before he resigned in 2009.

His previous fire experience included many years as a volunteer in the Onset Fire Department.