CENTERTON — Delton Bush who recently retired as a captain with the Bentonville Fire Department will become Centerton’s first full-time fire chief Wednesday.

Bush started his career as a volunteer firefighter in Centerton in 1982, he said. He became a full-time firefighter with the Bentonville department in 1996, and was hired as Centerton’s part-time fire chief in February 2012. Sunday was his last day with the Bentonville Fire Department.

Hiring Bush to be a full-time fire chief is one step the city of Centerton is taking to establish a full-time fire department, said Bill Edwards, mayor.

“We have a great fire department here now, and our response is great, but as many people as we have here, and the number of calls we have … we want to make sure we have the personnel and manpower,” he said.

Centerton’s fire department receives more than 700 calls a year, Edwards said.

“It’s steadily increasing,” he said, explaining that Centerton’s population is growing at a rate of about 1,000 people a year.

In addition to making Bush the full-time fire chief, the city will also hire a part-time assistant chief and two part-time firefighters in 2014, Edwards said. Officials hope to hire three full-time firefighters in 2015, and possibly another three the following year.

“Then (we’ll) go from there and see how it all falls into place,” Edwards said. “That’s huge. That’s big for us.”

Bush said the Centerton Fire Department currently has about 40 volunteer firefighters who get paid per call, and that the goal is to begin to add full-time positions.

Looking toward the future, Bush said he sees the department becoming fully staffed, meaning there would be a couple firefighters there around the clock who would work 24-hour shifts. The firefighters would have 48 hours off and also be able to provide ambulance service.

Though the department is expanding, it will continue to rely on volunteers, both Edwards and Bush said.

“We’ll be using volunteers for years and years to come,” Bush said.

Bush said he looks forward to his position in Centerton, but he will miss working with his colleagues at the Bentonville Fire Department.

“It’s bittersweet,” he said.

Curtis Sharp, a Bentonville battalion chief, has worked with Bush since Bush joined the department in 1996. Sharp described Bush as a man of integrity who is humble, innovative and an expert in technical rescues, be it in a confined space, water rescue or a rope rescue.

“He has compassion for people and passion for the service,” Sharp said. “He’s going to be a great leader, a great asset to the city of Centerton.”