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.