The Puget Sound Fire board selected Matthew Morris, fire chief in Henderson, Nev., to be the new chief for the Kent-based agency.
Morris, one of three finalists for the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority position, has worked with the Henderson Fire Department since 1996 and became chief in 2016.
“This was a difficult decision because of the high quality candidates we had in the final three,” said Bill Boyce, Kent City Council president and a fire board member. “The support and input of the stakeholder groups were crucial in determining our next fire chief.”
Jim Schneider is retiring at the end of August after 15 years as chief of Puget Sound Fire, formerly the Kent Fire Department.