Submitted by Lacey Fire District
January 1, 2025, marks a transition of leadership at Lacey Fire District. Fire Chief Steve Brooks has announced his retirement effective December 31, 2024. Chief Brooks’ fire and EMS career spans almost 34 years. Before moving to Washington, he served for 14 years in his home state of Tennessee including 11 years with the City of Oak Ridge Fire Department and two years as a Flight Paramedic with AirEvac Lifeteam.
Chief Brooks also served as an adjunct faculty member in the EMS program at Roane State Community College. He moved to Washington and began his tenure at Lacey Fire in 2005, first serving as the Medical Services Division Chief, then promoting to Fire Chief in 2011.
In addition to his role as Fire Chief, Brooks has been an active in other leadership roles, including 12 years as the President of the Thurston County Fire Chiefs, and the immediate past president of the Washington State Fire Chiefs Association. In his next pursuit, he will be assuming the role of Executive Director of the Washington State Fire Chiefs Association.
As his successor, the Lacey Fire District Board of Fire Commissioners have selected current Deputy Chief of Operations Jennifer Schmidt. She begins her position as Fire Chief on January 1.
In her role as Deputy Chief for the past five years Chief Schmidt has managed 150 career first responders, averaging over 17,000 calls per year. Her role also included overseeing the Training Division, and the design and implementation of an in-house accredited Fire Academy. She represents the District serving on various county-wide committees and partner agency teams.
Prior to coming to Lacey Fire District she started her career at South Kitsap Fire District and served for 20 years. Her areas of focus were union leadership and firefighter mental health, in addition to holding the rank of Shift Captain. Chief Schmidt’s new role as LFD Fire Chief places her in an elite group of five women fire chiefs among almost 400 agencies in Washington State.
