Fire Chief's Departure

Thank you for your coverage of the leadership debacle at the Key Peninsula Fire Department (“KPFD Chief Poised to Leave for Central Pierce Fire & Rescue,” Oct. 2021).

With several friends on the fire district board, I take no pleasure in pointing out the lack of leadership exhibited by the board in handling Chief Morrow’s decision to leave the KP for greener pastures in Central Pierce.

I was not a fan of the board using taxpayer dollars to fund the search that brought Chief Morrow to the KP. In my experience, most of these candidates are great job-shoppers with no real interest in a long-term connection to the community. The board members are presumably capable of performing their own due diligence in finding chief applicants. If not, voters should find commissioners that can actually do the job.

That the board would even consider keeping the chief on the payroll while also being paid by CPFD is testament to its complete abdication of its responsibilities.

My advice to Board President Stan Moffett is to say goodbye to Chief Morrow and get on with the business of finding — by the board, not an outside contractor — a full-time fire chief who wants to stay here in our community, even if it means that person’s resume may not have all the bullet points as that of a job-shopper.

Take your time and find the right fit this time. In the meantime, Assistant Chief Hal Wolverton will do a fine job in the interim. I’m pretty sure Hal has no plans to move off the KP.

John “Pat” Kelly, Gig Harbor