The Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority board unanimously ratified the hiring of Matthew Morris to be the next fire chief.
Morris will replace Jim Schneider, who is retiring at the end of August after 15 years as chief. The board voted Wednesday night on the hiring, but had announced Morris as the pick last month after interviews with three candidates.
The board received a positive report following a visit to Morris’s home in Henderson, Nev., by Schneider and board member Bill Boyce, one of three Kent City Council representatives on the board. Morris has worked with the Henderson Fire Department since 1996 and became chief in 2016.
Prior to his Sept. 11 starting date, Morris will meet with members of the department to learn and become familiar with the different aspects of Puget Sound Fire. The fire authority serves about 181,000 people in the cities of Kent, SeaTac, Covington and portions of unincorporated King County.
Kent has had only three fire chiefs in the last 52 years – Tom Foster, Norm Angelo and Schneider.
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