Meet Skyway Fire's Chief Finalists Sunday

Following an unsuccessful contract negotiation with King County Fire District 20 (Skyway Fire) chief finalist Michael Sherman, the King County Fire District Board of Commmissioners re-opened the application process late last year.

Now, on round two, fire commissioners will host a meeting for the public to interview a new line up of fire chief finalists on Sunday, January 27 from 1-2:30 p.m. at the Fire Training and Administration Building, located at 12424 76th Ave. S.

The finalists will speak for a few minutes each, and attendees are encouraged to ask questions and fill out comment cards that will be provided at the gathering. The meeting is open to the public, and feedback cards will be forwarded to the fire commissioners. 

Candidates include:

• Richard Chaney - Currently a Battalion Chief with South King Fire & Rescue
• Mark Chubb – Last position held was Interim Fire Chief of Woodinville Fire & Rescue
• Michael Jackson – Currently employed as the Fire Chief of the City of Woodland, WA
• Kenneth Morgan – Recently retired Deputy Fire Chief of Clark County Fire Department in Nevada
• James Price – Currently the Fire Chief of Baker City, OR
• Terry Shields – Retired Deputy Chief of the Phoenix Fire Department

The finalists will go through the final testing process on January 27 and 28.

"We received 34 applications for the Fire Chief position," said Dave Nelson, spokesperson for KCFD 20. "Our levy was approved by voters in November and annexation was voted down. This gave the Fire District a solid future including financially. These are six highly qualified fire personnel and the Fire Commissioners will have a tough time selecting who will replace Fire Chief Dave Crossen."

Crossen’s retirement will be delayed by three months due to the unsuccessful contract negotiation with the commissioner’s first fire chief candidate selection.

A similar event was held in October last year with selection of Fire Chief Michael Sherman. The Fire District and Chief Sherman were unable to come to terms of a contract Commissioners re-opened the position in late November. 

King County Fire District 20 is a combination district (volunteer and career) serving the residents of West Hill (Skyway, Lakeridge, Bryn Mawr, and Campbell Hill) just outside of Seattle and responds to more than 2,000 calls each year.

*Editor's Note: Information provided by King County Fire District 20.