Joe Kerr (retired firefighter)

Last updated
Joe Kerr
Joe Kerr Portrait.jpg
Born (1959-12-22) December 22, 1959 (age 64)
OccupationRetired Firefighter Captain
Years active46 Years
Political party Democratic Party
Website joekerrforcongress.com

Joseph Kerr (born on December 22nd, 1959) is a former firefighter captain who was a member of the Orange County Fire Authority from 1978 to 2012. [1] A member of the Democratic Party, Joe is running for the United States House of Representatives to represent California's 40th Congressional District and will be on the ballot on Election Day, November 5th, 2024. [2]

Contents

Kerr served as a Fire Captain for the Orange County Fire Authority for 34 years from Jan 13, 1978 to March 23, 2012. He was also elected as the first president of the Orange County Professional Firefighter's Association, a position that he held for 17 years from April 1995 until he retried as a firefighter in March 23, 2012. Other positions include vice president of California Professional Firefighters from 1999 to 2004, vice president of the Orange County Central Labor Council (AFL-CIO), and vice chair of the Regional Water Quality Control Board. [3]

Early Life

Kerr was born in Port Jervis, New York to James Kerr and Rosemarie Kerr. He graduated from Columbia Southern University, attending the school for Fire Administration, and he also attended and completed the Harvard Trade Union Program 2005.

He worked as a Brink's Armed Guard in Downtown Los Angeles before becoming a firefighter.

Firefighter Career

Kerr served as a second-generation firefighter, serving as Fire Captain for both the Orange County Fire Authority along with the Orange County Fire Department. During his time as a firefighter, Joe held a wide variety of specialty positions such as: Fire Academy Coordinator, Fire Academy Instructor, Strategic Planner, Fire Information Officer, Public Education Officer, Wildland Fire Defense Planner, Prescription Burn Boss, and Vegetation Management (Fuels) Officer.

Joe Kerr Talking To Firefighters.png

He also served as a union leader, becoming the first president of the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association, also known as IAFF 3631. He was also the Vice President of the California Professional Firefighters. In addition, he was also the Southern Director for the California State Firefighters Association from 1994 to 1995, and a former Vice President of the Orange County Central Labor Council (AFL-CIO) from 1998 to 2015. He was appointed by the General President of the International Association of Firefighters to serve as the 10th District Field Service Representative (DFSR), a district that represents professional firefighters and paramedics in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Hawaii, and held that position from 2000 to 2005. [1]

In 2003, Governor Gray Davis appointed Kerr to the California Workforce Development Board of Directors, acting as an advisor to the governor on the issues relating to California workers up until 2004. In 2018, he was appointed by Governor Gavin Newson to California Regional Water Quality Control Board Region 8, responsible for enforcing the Clean Water Act in three counties with a total population of 8,000,000 people, where he served as Vice Chair until he stepped down in 2022. [4]

Awards and Achievements

In 1981, following Kerr's response to an Air California jetliner crash at John Wayne Airport, the Orange County Board of Supervisors awards him with a Certificate of Merit. He was awarded with the Courage Under Fire Awards by the Orange County Fire Authority in 1994, after reviving a non-breathing occupant trapped under a residential structure fire. After retirement, in 2012, he was awarded with various awards for helping save the life of a 11-month old baby girl trapped, who had drowned and stopped breathing in a backyard swimming pool. [1]

Awards
YearAwardReceived By
1979Fireman of the YearCypress Fire Department
1981Certificate of Merit Orange County Board of Supervisors
1994Overachiever of the YearOrange County Firemen’s Association
1986Fire Captain of the Year Orange County Fire Department
1999Courage Under Fire AwardCongresswomen Loretta Sanchez and Former State Senator Joe Dunn

Electoral History

2024 California's 40th Congressional District election

2024 California's 40th Congressional District election
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Young Kim 109,963 56.4
Democratic Joe Kerr 49,965 25.6
Democratic Allyson Muñiz Damikolas35,15318.0
General election
Republican Young Kim
Democratic Joe Kerr

2022 California State Senate election

2022 California State Senate election
Primary election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Matt Gunderson74,26045.4
Democratic Catherine Blakespear 71,26343.6
Democratic Joe Kerr18,05911.0
Total votes163,582 100.0
General election
Democratic Catherine Blakespear 188,166 52.2
Republican Matt Gunderson172,53447.8
Total votes360,700 100.0

2018 Orange County Board of Supervisors District 4

2018 Orange County Board of Supervisors election § District 4
Primary election
CandidateVotes %
Tim Shaw18,17120.6
Doug Chaffee 18,09320.5
Joe Kerr17,71720.1
Lucille Kring15,34717.4
Rose Espinoza10,39711.8
Cynthia Aguirre8,4199.6
Runoff election
Doug Chaffee 76,85950.4
Tim Shaw75,53749.6

Personal Life

Kerr is married to China Kerr, with whom has one son, Joey Kerr (born November 18, 2003) who was conceived through IVF (in vitro fertilization). [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Meet Joe". Joe Kerr for Congress. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  2. "Joe Kerr". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  3. "Meet Joe". Joe Kerr for Congress. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  4. "Retired Calif. fire captain announces run for Congress". FireRescue1. 2023-06-01. Retrieved 2024-07-26.