Gardnerville resident named Tahoe-Douglas assistant chief

A veteran firefighter with almost a third of a century of experience was sworn in last week as the new assistant chief of special operations for the Tahoe-Douglas Fire Protection District.

Gardnerville resident Kevin Lawson assumed the role on Aug. 5 and was officially sworn in on Aug. 21.

"I am humbled and privileged to step into the assistant chief of special operation role at Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District," Lawson said. "I look forward to working with the dedicated team of professionals to continue protect lives and property, and to further strengthen our community partnerships."

Lawson comes to the district from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, where he served as deputy fire chief of operations in San Diego County.

During his tenure, he provided leadership and management to more than 42 fire stations and 950 employees. Lawson holds an associates degree in fire science, Type 1 “all hazard” incident commander, certified fire instructor, chief officer certification, fire investigator/peace officer P.O.S.T. certified and served on the department’s Type 1 incident management teams for 17 years.
“His years of experience beginning as a firefighter and working his way up through the ranks, make him an invaluable addition to the Tahoe Douglas fire family,” fire district officials said. “We are confident that he will help us continue to provide exceptional service and carry on our mission by caring for our community with care, professionalism, and respect.”

After retiring from California, Lawson moved home to Nevada. He lives in Gardnerville with his wife Leslie of 29 years. They have two adult children. His daughter Taylor serves as a nurse at Carson Valley Medical Center and his son Trevor is an engineer for CAL FIRE in Colfax, Calif.

Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District was formed in 1946 to meet the expectations of the community to guard against the threat of fire in the wildland-urban interface. The challenge of meeting those expectations is dynamic which asks us to be more innovative to respond through a professionally, highly-trained, well-equipped organization in those expected services with concern for the well-being of our personnel.