Sedgwick County Fire District #1

Gary Curmode has served as Fire Chief of Sedgwick County Fire District #1 for the last 14 years. He directs 142 paid personnel and a $15.3 million budget. Chief Curmode supervises fire prevention, emergency medical delivery system, fleet maintenance, fire suppression, and public education/fire investigation.

Chief Curmode has directed two separate ISO (Insurance Services Organization) studies, and is now exploring a third ISO study that will encompass specific areas of the fire district.Additionally, through the Commission on Fire Accreditation International, the department just completed a vigorous re-accreditation by peer assessors in May, 2008. SCFD is one of only three accredited departments in the state of Kansas. 

His educational background includes an AA in Fire Science, BA in Secondary Education, and double MA in Administration of Justice and Public Administration.  Chief Curmode completed the National Fire Academy’s “Executive Fire Officer” program in 1991.  He completed his Chief Fire Officer Designation through the Commission on Chief Fire Officer in April 2001.  He has served as a Peer Reviewer for the program since June 2001 and has renewed his three-year renewal designation three times.  In June 2006, Chief Curmode graduated from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

He is a member of the National Fire Service Incident Management Consortium, Firefighter Safety Study Act Committee, and is currently the President of the Kansas Professional Fire Chiefs Association for the past six years. He is an active member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the Missouri Valley Division of Fire Chiefs, the Kansas Association of Fire Chiefs, the Kansas Professional Fire Chiefs, and Chair of the Kansas Fire Service Council.  As a peer assessor for fire departments under CFAI/CPSE, he has had 18 site visits with 14 as Team Leader.  Additionally, he is the Mentoring Chair of the Missouri Valley and NSEFO Mentoring Committee. 

He has three children: Rory, Mogie, and Kasey.