June 27, 2019
Lawrence City Manager Tom Markus announced today the hiring of Interim Fire Chief Shaun Coffey as the new Chief of the Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical Department.
“I appointed Shaun as interim chief in July 2018 and observed him lead the department through several challenges these past 11 months,” Mr. Markus said. “I’m impressed by Shaun’s integrity as well as his technical and management skills. His 34 years of service to the Fire Medical Department is demonstrative of his ongoing dedication. I expect Shaun to reach out to all members of the department to work together to continue moving the department forward for the benefit of the whole community.”
The chief oversees 149 employees who work out of seven facilities. The Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical Department handled 13,295 incident calls in 2018.
Mr. Coffey stated, “After months of serving in an interim capacity, I am excited to formally lead what I know is a great team of hard working and highly skilled professionals. The Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical Department is well positioned to move forward and I’m eager to work with this team to continue serving our community.”
Mr. Coffey’s appointment as Chief begins immediately.
Contact: Porter Arneill, Director of Communications and Creative Resources – parneill@lawrenceks.org | 785-764-3270
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Shaun Coffey, Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical Department
Shaun Coffey is the Fire Chief for the Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical Department. He has devoted his entire career to the LDCFM since joining in 1985.
Shaun holds an Associate’s degree in Fire Protection from Johnson County Community College, and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Baker University. He currently holds an Executive Chief Officer certification from the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and the Chief Officer Designation from the Center of Public Safety Excellence.
Shaun was the 2013 Preparedness Partner of the Year, and the KS Incident Management Team’s first 15-challenge coin recipient. He currently serves on the board for Douglas County Local Emergency Planning Committee, Section Chief for the Northeast KS All-Hazard Incident Management Team, and is on the EMS advisory committee for Johnson County Community College, Kansas City Community College, and Washburn Tech.