KALISPELL — The City of Kalispell has announced the appointment of a new fire chief.
Jay Hagen will take over as the Fire Chief of the Kalispell Fire Department, beginning May 5.
Hagen is coming to Kalispell from the Bellevue, Washington Fire Department, where he has served as fire chief since 2018.
“I am excited and grateful to be joining the team at the City of Kalispell and returning to Western Montana where I started in the fire service many years ago, "Hagen stated.
Hagen has over 30 years of experience since he began his career with the City of Missoula Fire Department.
“Chief Hagen is the ideal fit to lead our fire department into the future,” said Kalispell City Manager Doug Russell. “As we enter this phase of rapid growth, we will continue to work on deploying the recommendations outlined in the 2023 CPSM report, which includes building and operating an additional fire station. Chief Hagen has successfully overseen similar capital and organizational changes in the city of Bellevue, and we are confident in his leadership and strategic planning abilities.”
Hagen has a bachelor’s degree in organizational communications from the University of Montana and a Master of Arts degree in Homeland Security and Defense from the Naval Postgraduate School in California.
Current Kalispell Fire Chief Dan Pearce is retiring.
"During his tenure, Chief Pearce and his leadership team played a crucial role in the passage of the 2024 emergency responder levy and addressing operational and staffing recommendations made by the Center for Public Safety Management (CPSM). While we will miss Chief Pearce and appreciate his leadership, we are confident that Chief Hagen will uphold the commitment to excellence in Fire and Emergency Medical Response that the department has established," a news release states.
