It's not about the fire chief

COEUR d’ALENE — For someone who has been Coeur d’Alene’s fire chief for 22 years, Kenny Gabriel gives himself little credit for his department’s success.

He has high praise for firefighters and their union.

He goes on about city administrators and their support.

He talks up the community and boards he has served on.

The best he’ll say about himself, as he prepares to retire, is the fire department has done a good job.

“I think our standing in the community is one of the things I'm just as proud of as anything,” he said. “I think people genuinely like their fire department and we genuinely want to serve them.”

Kenny Gabriel stands 6-feet, 5-inches tall. He is a big man. He is also a friendly, appreciative man who speaks well of everyone around him. He smiles often.

At 58, he is healthy, fit and has a lot of life left to live. He intends to live it well.

“I want to do whatever I want to do next. I don't have any grand plans,” he said during a recent interview with The Press.

Traveling, hanging out with his wife of 16 years, Wendy, spending time at their Coeur d’Alene River property and being with grandchildren are high on his priority list.

He says it’s time to be a better husband, father, grandfather and son.

“It's literally as simple as that,” he said. “If I wanted another job, I'd stay with the best job a person could ask for.”

A good job

He counts himself as blessed to have been fire chief in this city of about 50,000 for more than two decades. He’s responsible for 60 firefighters, four fire stations and a budget of about $18 million.

“It has been better than I deserve and more than a person could ever hope for,” Gabriel said.

He downplays his role.

A fire chief doesn’t actually fight fires, he explains, unless they’re big blazes. He mostly manages people, the budget, monitors training and equipment, works with city administrators — 99% of his time is at a desk.

“This job is not about stuff. It's about service delivery,” he said.

“It's about people. And you can't have great service delivery without great people.”


The firehouse stationery doesn't bear his name. There isn’t a big picture of him on display at the Foster Avenue fire station. He doesn’t have “fire chief” written on the side of his red rig.

“This job has never been about the fire chief. It’s been about them,” he said, referring to the team he oversees. “People don't need to know me. They need to know them.”

“You can't ask for more skilled, more dedicated, more professional, just downright good human beings that do good things,” he added.

When people call 911, it’s because they need help. It’s not a good day.

“Our job is to make their lives better,” Gabriel said.

Firefighting career

Kenny Gabriel’s last day as fire chief will be Feb. 15. He talks of the rule of 80, when age and years of experience are equal to or greater than 80.

“Once you get that, you know you can go at any time, and I'm in like, rule of 92,” he said, laughing.

Not that he wants to go.

“It’s never occurred to me that I don't want to work here. I've worked here my entire adult life. And this has always been a dream job,” he said.

Gabriel started with the city in 1984 as a reserve firefighter. Then, he was a relief dispatcher. Then a relief firefighter. In 1988 he landed his first full-time paid job as a firefighter in Osburn, a one-person crew with one truck.

In 1991, he was hired by the city of Coeur d’Alene.

His path to fire chief was one he says he “probably wouldn't want anybody else to take.”

In the late 90s, he was promoted from engineer to fire chief. It caught him by surprise.

He recalled that Mayor Steve Judy called him into his office and slid a piece of paper across the desk.

“Sign that. It’s your contract. You’re our new fire chief.”

Gabriel wasn’t so sure and got the weekend to mull it over.

“And I thought, ‘I don't know anything about being fire chief.’ And I had such respect for the people I worked for. I thought, ‘I can't represent them the way they need to be represented.’”

Gabriel declined.

Problem was, the media had already published reports saying he was the new fire chief.

Judy was “very, very polite and understanding. I don't think he was thrilled. But he supported me," Gabriel said.

He agreed to stay on until a replacement could be found. Summer came and went. Gabriel handled the budget and kept track of all the things a fire chief does.

Judy tried again.

“Hey, you ready to apply for your job yet?”

This time, the answer was yes.

Gabriel went through the hiring process and in 2000 was named fire chief.

“This is the only place I wanted to be,” he said.

High praise

Gabriel has earned accolades for his performance.

“Chief Gabriel has been an exceptional team member at the City of Coeur d’Alene,” wrote City Administrator Troy Tymesen. “He is a public safety professional that has been recognized by his peers with the Lifetime Achievement Award! He has enhanced the City’s Fire Department response times to those in need through the addition of two strategically located fire stations. He provided exceptional vision and leadership when the City partnered up with the surrounding agencies to rescue the Kootenai County Emergency Medical Services System, the County’s ambulance system. He promotes the City in all that does and he has amazing relationships with citizens all over this state.”

Steve Widmyer, who just completed eight years as the city’s mayor, had this to say: "The Coeur d'Alene Fire Department is respected throughout the Northwest as one of the best. It’s what all fire departments should aspire to be. This is a result of Kenny’s leadership and the tremendous team he has assembled. We as a community are grateful for his service and the department that he has built that is second to none.”

Gabriel appreciates the good words.

In one way, he hates to leave. He’ll miss the people, the place, the smell, the energy.

“I’m actually going to miss about everything,” he said.

But it's time.

“We’re getting older, right? They're getting younger, and the complexities of the department are changing," he said.

Moving on

He’s pleased the city plans to hire his replacement from within.

“I think that it's time for the next group to come up. Give them the opportunity, because they deserve an opportunity to do what they can do and just have me go out while things are good, while I’m healthy.”

While they’re known for fighting fires, Gabriel said there are other ways that exemplify all firefighters do.

He speaks of how a driver and engineer grabbed snow shovels and cleared sidewalks. Or the time they built a ramp for someone in a wheelchair coming home. How they comforted a child or rescued a pet.

“That's what sticks out to me so much more than a fire on Tubbs Hill,” he said. “Everybody sees that. What they don't see is what these folks do every day on those types of calls.”

He leaves a proud legacy: the EMS system, successful general obligation bonds, well-trained and well-equipped firefighters. And a community that respects and supports him and his department.

But he’ll leave with little fanfare. No celebration. No big party, at least that he’s planning.

“I’m not a big fan of that,” he said.

He is a fan of giving credit to others. So he does when asked for a final few words.

“We have people that have been doing this a long time. They're just wonderful people, very skilled, more skilled than I ever was to take the reins, and I'm excited."