Steve Brooks

WHEREAS, In Washington state, we are always thankful for leaders 1
who bring communities together to form a brighter and more hopeful 2
Washington; and 3
WHEREAS, Steve Brooks began his career in emergency medical 4
service as a critical care flight paramedic spending 11 years in the 5
Fire Service in Tennessee before he and his wife Lee moved to Lacey, 6
Washington in 2005; and 7
WHEREAS, He was selected to serve as the Emergency Medical 8
Service Officer of Thurston County Fire Protection District 3, Lacey 9
(commonly referred to as Lacey Fire District 3) in 2005 before being 10
promoted to Fire Chief in 2012; and 11
WHEREAS, He was elected President of the Thurston County Fire 12
Chiefs in 2013; and 13
WHEREAS, He served as Operations Board Member for three key 14
Thurston County emergency services partners: Thurston County Special 15
Operations Rescue Team (SORT), Thurston County 911, and Thurston 16
County Medic One; and 17
WHEREAS, He built productive and constructive relationships 18
resulting in numerous policy updates and joint ventures within the 19
fire and emergency medical service areas; and 20
WHEREAS, His positive attitude spread from the Lacey Fire 21
District 3 to the City of Lacey and throughout Thurston County. This 22
SENATE RESOLUTION
8602
By Senator Bateman
p. 1 8602
cooperative and collaborative leadership style set a new 1
standard for interagency cooperation; and 2
WHEREAS, He received the Distinguished Leader Award by the 3
Thurston County Chamber of Commerce in 2017 for his work in the 4
larger Thurston County Community; and 5
WHEREAS, He was elected and served as the Washington Fire 6
Chiefs Legislative Committee Chair from 2019 to 2022; and7
WHEREAS, He represented the Washington Fire Chiefs in the 8
Western Region Fire Chiefs Association from 2020 to 2022; and9
WHEREAS, His leadership and personal example helped lead 10
Lacey Fire District 3 through the COVID-19 Pandemic, helping 11
fire service agencies across the state navigate one of the most 12
difficult periods in recent history; and 13
WHEREAS, He was elected and served as the Washington Fire 14
Chiefs President from 2022 to 2024; and 15
WHEREAS, He played an instrumental role in advocating for 16
firefighter issues, including legislative testimony and the 17
development of a Washington Fallen Firefighter Memorial; and18
WHEREAS, His vision and leadership helped create the South 19
Sound Fire Fighter Academy, a collaborative effort with multiple 20
South Sound Fire Districts and Departments, to train 21
firefighters across Thurston County; and 22
WHEREAS, His fiscal management enabled the district's 23
balanced growth to meet the needs of a rapidly growing community 24
while improving the District's fire protecting rating for the 25
unincorporated areas; and 26
WHEREAS, During his tenure as Fire Chief, the District 27
received zero findings in all financial and accountability 28
audits performed by the Washington State Auditor's Office; and29
WHEREAS, As Fire Chief, the District successfully came to 30
terms on five collective bargaining agreements ahead of deadline 31
and without mediation; and 32
WHEREAS, His leadership helped bring about a holistic 33
approach to personnel well-being, achieving advancements in 34
firefighter health and safety, and establishing a model for 35
labor management relations across the state; and 36
p. 2 8602
WHEREAS, He is known for his inspirational leadership and 1
unwavering commitment to public safety initiatives and the 2
betterment of fire service leaders across Washington; and3
WHEREAS, He is set to retire in March 2025 and is widely 4
recognized for initiating a whole new culture of service and 5
outreach at Lacey Fire District 3; and 6
WHEREAS, Steve Brooks is a leader whose thoughtfulness, 7
dedication, and shared commitment to community safety are truly 8
noteworthy and deserve widespread public recognition;9
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State 10
Senate recognize and honor Steve Brooks' contributions to the 11
Washington Fire Service and Emergency Medical Services for the 12
past two decades. Steve Brooks is the ideal public servant, and 13
his character is an example for future leaders to emulate.14
I, Sarah Bannister, Secretary of the Senate, 15
do hereby certify that this is a true and 16
correct copy of Senate Resolution 8602, 17
adopted by the Senate 18
January 24, 2025 19
SARAH BANNISTER 20
Secretary of the Senate 21
p. 3 8602