Jim Kenny

My name is Jim Kenny, and I am running for re-election to fire commissioner position 5 on the South County Fire (SCF) board of commissioners. I am currently the chair of the board, and I have been a fire commissioner since 2003.

SCF is the largest fire service and EMS agency in Snohomish County with 340 uniformed personnel responding from 15 fire stations to protect you on over 39,000 calls in 2024. We cover Brier, Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mill Creek, Mountlake Terrace, and the areas in between. SCF has future issues including:

• reducing response times
• regionalization
• renovating and building fire stations
• the intersection of public health and EMS
• firefighter physical and mental health
• disaster planning
• technological advancements in the fire service: use of drones and AI

As chair of the board, I have been leading on these and many other issues to improve your service. I like to be cutting edge, but cutting edge tends to be expensive. I am concerned about costs, because they only seem to go up. But I want SCF to be careful with your money. As an example, we are planning in the 2026 budget to get $8+ million in federal reimbursement through the GEMT (ground emergency medical transport) program that covers the cost of certain uncompensated medical care. But the federal government may cut the funding. Should we spend the $8 million not knowing if the federal government will meet their contractual promises, or should we be cautious until we know for sure whether we are getting the federal funding? I like to be cautious so we don’t have to unnecessarily raise your taxes. These are the real-world issues with which I grapple as your fire commissioner. My experience navigating these issues brings value to this position.

I am active in fire commissioner organizations, including being the current treasurer and past president of the Sno-Isle Fire Commissioners Association and former board member of the Washington Fire Commissioners Association. In my regular job I work as a prosecutor. My wife, Susan, and I live in the Silver Firs neighborhood of SCF.

There is more work to do, and I have the experience to do it for you. Please consider me for your vote. Thank you!

Jim Kenny