The mission of the City of Kissimmee Fire Department is to protect the lives and property of Kissimmee citizens. We are proud to have an ISO 1 public fire protection classification and International Fire Accreditation.
This department provides fire protection, emergency medical care, and various other emergency and non-emergency responses to the residents of the City of Kissimmee.
In addition to extinguishing fires and assisting persons and property in natural or man-made emergencies, the department performs the preliminary investigation of fires. Emergency Medical Service (EMS) is provided to residents and visitors through an excellent Advanced Life Support (ALS) cooperative system with our local hospitals. Our Fire and Life Safety Education programs reach more than 10,000 individuals each year, educating them to prevent injury and illness.
Jim Walls - Fire Chief
Jim Walls began his career with the City of Kissimmee Fire Department in December 1987 as a Firefighter/EMT. He rose through the ranks to his current position, being appointed fire chief in June 2016.
Chief Walls holds a master's degree in public administration-fire from Liberty University and a bachelor's degree in fire administration from Waldorf University. Chief Walls is a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer (EFO) program from the National Fire Academy and the Fire Service Executive Development Institute (FSEDI) from the International Association of Fire Chiefs. He is an accredited Chief Fire Officer through the Center of Public Safety Excellence.
Chief Walls is a member of the Central Florida Fire Chief's Association, currently serving as president of the association. He is also a member of the Florida Fire Chief's Association and the International Association of Fire Chiefs. Chief Walls is a veteran of the United States Air Force.
Jeremy Donovan - Deputy Fire Chief
Chief Donovan has been with the City of Kissimmee Fire Department since 2005. He has served as Deputy Fire Chief of Operations and Administration. A second-generation firefighter, he started as a career firefighter in 1993. He served as Director of the Central Florida Fire Academy starting in 2000 before coming to City of Kissimmee. He has a bachelor's degree from the University of Memphis through the National Fire Academy's Degrees and a Distance Program.
Joseph Leone - Deputy Fire Chief
Joseph Leone has been in the fire service for over 35 years; he started his career as a paramedic with the Chicago Fire Department; after a short time in Chicago, he became a firefighter with the Addison Fire Department in Addison, IL. He rose through the ranks and retired as fire chief. He is currently the Deputy Fire Chief of Operations for the City of Kissimmee Fire Department. Joe received his master's degree from Southern Illinois University (SIU) and is an accredited Chief Fire Officer through the Center for Public Safety Excellence. He is an annual contributor and judge for station design awards through Firehouse magazine. He is an educator for Southern Illinois University in the Public Safety Management program. Chief Leone is also an approved instructor for the National Fire Academy, where he teaches incident command for fire and EMS. Joe is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps.