Park City Fire Chief Kelly Gee expects to retire Thursday, ending a 27-year career with the largest fire department in Summit County.
Gee began working full-time for the Park City Fire District in 1983. The Utah native was named fire chief in 1985.
Gee was raised in the Park City area and began his career as a volunteer fireman in 1978 after returning to Park City from a four-year stint in the Air Force. During his tenure, the Park City Fire District grew to about 90 employees including 76 full-time firefighters. Gee helped advance services including wildfire protection, hazardous materials clean up, paramedic and ambulance response.
Fire District Battalion Chief Steve Zwirn has worked under Gee since the 1980s.
“When I first started here Park City Fire District was a fire department. We put out fires, that’s all we did. We didn’t provide medical services, we went on hazmat calls but we had no expertise or training,” Zwirn said in a telephone interview. “Twenty years ago, a fire department providing EMS was a rarity. Chief Gee was able to see the writing on the wall. He moved us in the direction of providing medical services long before the vast majority of the country was doing it.”
Zwirn said a fire chief leading the same department for 25 years is unusual.
“One of the things they say in the fire service is that a fire chief is only effective for three years. A chief has an agenda of things he wants to accomplish and typically it takes three years to accomplish those things. Then the organization becomes stagnant,” Zwirn explained. “Chief Gee has never fallen into that trap. He’s never allowed himself to become stagnant. We’ve always been looking to the future and looking to expand services.”
The district developed five fire stations under Gee’s watch.
“With all the development over the years he always looked out for the best interest of the fire service and safety of the employees, always having the right access in and out of these huge complexes that were built,” Assistant Fire Chief Bob Zanetti said. “Fire safety was always at the forefront.”
Replacing Gee will be difficult, Zanetti said.
“His shoes cannot be filled. He was the face of the district for over 25 years. His commitment and longevity speaks for itself,” he said. “He’s got some toughness in him.”
Describing Gee’s personality, Zanetti said he is “a cross between Tony Soprano and Gandhi.”
“He has a really good heart and he does the right thing, however, everybody knows he’s the boss,” Zanetti joked. “He’s a great boss and I think you’d get that from all 80 employees. He values his employees on a professional as well as personal level. That is key.”
Gee served on committees for the Utah State Fire Chiefs Association and the Western Fire Chiefs Association. He also completed courses at Westminster College and the University of Utah.
Fire commissioners searching for Gee’s permanent replacement named Zanetti interim fire chief. Zanetti said he did not apply for the department’s highest post.
“They’re in the process of looking at a new chief now. It could be anywhere from a month to five months. I’m not sure,” Zanetti said. “Everybody’s a little concerned. We all want the best for the district.”
The new fire chief could come from within the department.
“We do have some applicants from within and some from out of state,” Zanetti said. “It’s hard to say where it’s at in the process. They have narrowed it down but they still have a ways to go.”
Zwirn said he applied for the chief position.
“I think there are plenty of really qualified candidates who could come in here and be the chief. A lot of them have really good ideas for the future of Park City fire,” Zwirn said. “Maintaining that vision in the long term as Chief Gee did is going to be difficult.”
An open house for Gee is scheduled Thursday at the district’s administrative offices, 736 W. Bitner Road. The celebration is scheduled from 3 to 5 p.m.