Seminole County, Fla. (March 8, 2022) – The Seminole County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved Matt Kinley as Fire Chief of the Seminole County Fire Department (SCFD). Seminole County Interim County Manager Joe Abel made the appointment, which was supported by the Board and is effective immediately.

The 21-year veteran of the Department has served as Interim Fire Chief since December 2021. He is officially the sixth Fire Chief in the Seminole County Fire Department’s 48-year history. Chief Kinley will lead 20 fire stations throughout the growing County with more than 500 personnel.

Chief Kinley began his career with the Seminole County Fire Department in 2001 and has proudly served in every area of the County in terms of station coverage. He was part of both SCFD’s Special Hazards & Operations Team (SHOT) and Tower Team. After serving as a firefighter/paramedic for seven years, he went on to lead as a Lieutenant, a Battalion Chief, Assistant Chief of EMS Operations, Deputy Chief of Administration and Deputy Chief of Operations.

“We have full confidence in Chief Kinley’s leadership, and he is and has always been an asset to Seminole County,” said Seminole County Board Chairman Bob Dallari. “Matt has a proven track record and served in or overseen just about every aspect of the Fire Department’s operations, so he is extremely well qualified.”

The Central Florida native grew up in the Lake Brantley area and currently resides in Seminole County with his family. The 46-year-old comes from a long lineage of those in the Fire Service and is a third-generation Fire Chief (his father served as Fire Chief of Forest City in Altamonte and his grandfather served as Fire Chief in Williamsport, Pennsylvania).

“I am honored and humbled to serve as Seminole County Fire Department’s Fire Chief and I value our Department’s immense talent, training and growth opportunities,” said SCFD Fire Chief Matt Kinley. “I stand on the shoulders of great Fire Chiefs who have come before me, and I intend to value our roots while continuing to embrace innovations to best serve the public safety interests of our residents and businesses in Seminole County.”

Chief Kinley earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Administration from the University of Central Florida (UCF) in 2000 and received his EMT/Fire/Paramedic certifications from Seminole State College.

SCFD is considered a metro-sized, all hazards Fire Department serving nearly a half million residents in unincorporated Seminole County, including the cities of Altamonte Springs, Winter Springs and Casselberry. In 2021, it obtained a top ISO Class 1 Rating. The Department also has joint response agreements with the cities of Sanford, Lake Mary, Oviedo and Longwood.

Previous SCFD Fire Chiefs:

-Chief Otto Drozd III: 2020 – 2021

-Chief Mark Oakes: 2015 – 2020

-Chief Leeanna Mims: 2005 – 2015

-Chief Terry L. Schenk: 1993 – 2005

-Chief Gary Kaiser: 1974 – 1993