Olympia Firefighters announce new Chief of Department

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Olympia Firefighters announced a new Chief of Department on Friday.

Matt Morris will join the Olympia Fire Department with over 33 years of experience in the fire service, said Olympia Firefighters. He spent the last six years as the Fire Chief for the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority based in Kent.

According to Olympia Firefighters, Morris started as a reserve firefighter/EMT in Boulder City, Nevada. He was then hired as a firefighter in Henerson, Nevada for 22 years. He was a captain, battalion chief, and deputy chief, before being promoted to fire chief.

Before the fire service, Olympia Firefighters said, Morris served in the US Navy with three deployments to the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean before being honorably discharged.

Morris also has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in business administration.

He is engaged to be married and has two adult children who live in the Pacific Northwest.

“I have a philosophy that is value-based, and focuses on taking care of people and building strong relationships,” said Morris. “The Olympia Fire Department has a strong legacy of being caring leaders in the community and beyond. I am humbled to have the honor to join the Olympia Fire Department to work together to help build a vibrant and safe community”.

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