July 5, 2022
Lawrence City Manager Craig Owens announced today that Richard Llewellyn will be the new Chief of the Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical Department (LDCFM).
“We felt fortunate to have such a strong pool of applicants,” Owens said. “Through an extensive process, we found that Rich’s career progression and his leadership approach in the field of fire and emergency medical response is just the right fit for where we are today and what we see ahead in our community. It will take continued evolution for a department like LDCFM to keep performing at high levels. Rich seems to understand that and to have insights on how to move forward together as a team and as a part of a complex community system.”
Since 2018, Chief Llewellyn has served as the Assistant Chief of Administration for the Everett Fire Department in western Washington.
“Expectations of the fire service are evolving, which creates many challenges and opportunities as we seek ways to both improve our performance during emergency responses and to reduce the frequency or severity of those emergencies,” said Llewellyn. “I’m excited to join a team and community that is future-focused and open to developing, adapting, and deploying innovative approaches to safety, health, and emergency response.”
Llewellyn is scheduled to begin on Monday, August 15.
Owens thanked the search committee and interview panels for their help in reviewing applications and interviewing candidates. The search committee members are listed below.
Owens also thanked Interim Chief Tom Fagan for his time leading the Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical Department since December.
“Interim Chief Fagan has provided exemplary leadership during this transition and will be a strong partner in the continued success of this department and our organization,” Owens said. “I also extend my thanks to the department members and especially the leadership team. They have all set us up for success as our new chief engages on our next era for the department.”
The chief oversees 156 LDCFM employees who work out of seven facilities. The Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical Department handled 14,560 incident calls in 2021.
Contact: Porter Arneill, Director of Communications and Creative Resources – parneill@lawrenceks.org | 785-832-3402
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Richard “Rich” Llewellyn was born in Montana and raised in Naches, Washington where he graduated from Naches Valley High School. Following high school, he received a scholarship to play basketball at Highline Community College in Des Moines, Washington. After an injury ended his basketball career, he finished his bachelor’s degree at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington where he graduated cum laude in business administration.
After volunteering with a local fire department while home on summer break, Chief Llewellyn joined Pullman Fire Services as a reserve firefighter and later became a resident firefighter for the Washington State University Fire Services. Following his graduation from WSU in 1996, he was hired full-time with Pullman Fire where he worked as a firefighter and emergency medical technician. He also served as president of Local 1892 of the International Association of Fire Fighters (Pullman Firefighters).
In 2000, Chief Llewellyn was hired as a firefighter by the Spokane Valley Fire Department (SVFD) in eastern Washington. He worked for the SVFD for 18 years and held a variety of positions including lieutenant, captain, battalion chief and, finally, the Division Chief of Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Additional roles with the SVFD included serving as a paramedic, technical rescue team member, training officer, accreditation program manager, and president of the Spokane Valley Battalion Chiefs, IAFF Local 3701.
While working for the SVFD, Chief Llewellyn completed two additional college programs including earning an A.A.S. in advanced life support from Spokane Community College and a Master of Education in adult education from Eastern Washington University. He was accepted to the National Fire Academy’s (NFA) Executive Fire Officer Program and completed the four-year program in 2019. His 2018 research paper, which studied opiate usage in the Spokane Valley, was recognized with the NFA’s Outstanding Research Award for that year.
In 2018, Chief Llewellyn was hired as the Assistant Chief of Administration for the Everett Fire Department in western Washington. Shortly after arriving in Everett, he was elected to the position of vice-president with the Snohomish County Fire Chiefs Association. Highlights of Chief Llewellyn’s tenure with Everett Fire include a 2021 launch of the PulsePoint App, starting a grant-funded UAS (drone) program, and coordinating the Snohomish County fire service’s response to COVID-19. In 2020, he completed a master’s program with a management emphasis through Harvard University’s Extension School.
Chief Llewellyn has two adult sons that live on Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. He and his wife Holly were married in 2018 and live in Lake Stevens, Washington with their six dogs (it’s a blended family – each had three dogs when they met). They enjoy travel and exploring new areas and are very excited to be relocating to Lawrence.
Search Committee
- Sarah Plinsky, County Administrator, Douglas County, KS
- Bonnie Lowe, President & CEO, Lawrence Chamber
- Lyle Schwartz, LDCFM Division Chief
- Seamus Albritton, LDCFM Fire Engineer and President of Lawrence Professional Firefighters, IAFF Local 1596
- Brian Bradfield, Vice President Ancillary and Support Services, LMH
- Nelson Mosley, Chief of Police and Director of the Office of Public Safety, University of Kansas