Meet Daryl Brown- new SBRFA Fire Chief

Feb 27

Daryl Brown new South Beach Regional Fire Authority Fire Chief

Published with permission and written By Barb Aue, South Beach Community Bulletin Board Feb, 27, 2024

After nearly 23 years of dedicated service in emergency medical response and firefighting on the South Beach, South Beach Regional Fire Authority Fire Battalion Chief of Operations Daryl Brown was promoted to the position of SBRFA Fire Chief effective January 31st, with his official Pinning Ceremony held February 13, 2025. He replaces former Chief Dennis Benn, who officially retired late last month.

Emergency Services History

Brown steadily has worked his way up through the ranks since he was hired as a Paramedic for South Beach Ambulance Service in October 2002, a position he held until 2014. From 2014 to 2018, he served as a Fire Captain and Paramedic for South Beach Ambulance/ Fire and Emergency Medical Service.

Brown was promoted to Battalion Chief of the South Beach Regional Fire Authority in 2018 and served in that capacity until he recently advanced to Fire Chief.

According to a press release from SBRFA, “His expertise in firefighting operations, community risk reduction, and team development has earned him the respect and trust of colleagues and the community alike. As Fire Chief, he will focus on advancing department operations, enhancing firefighter training, and strengthening partnerships with community members and regional agencies.”

In response to his promotion Brown stated, “I am honored to serve as Fire Chief and lead the dedicated men and women of SBRFA. Together, we will build upon our foundation of excellence while embracing new opportunities to protect and serve our community.

“It is an honor to serve the community of South Beach all these years. I have always been impressed with the humanity and support I have seen here. It was a privilege to serve under Chief Dennis Benn's leadership for so many years and I look forward to giving this community my best while I’m chief.”

Highly Respected

Daryl is known by others as a man of great integrity who remains humble and never forgets where he started from. He is highly respected by those with whom he works. He is well-known for his passion for the job, his great compassion for others, for being forward-thinking and for being a very good communicator. Those qualities are well-evidenced by his being the recipient of the SBRFA Annual Firefighter Customer Service Award several times over the years by vote of his peers. He says he considers those in-house awards as among his greatest accomplishments.

In the Beginning

Daryl was born November 19, 1976 in Seattle, Washington. He lived in East King County as a young child, then in Bethel, Alaska for two years, followed by the family’s move to Bellevue, where he attended middle school.

The family moved to Kingston for his last year of junior high. Daryl attended and graduated from North Kitsap High School in 1995. He decided to pursue a career in the fire service while in Kingston and served as a Volunteer/Resident Firefighter for North Kitsap Fire & Rescue from 1995-2000.

Educational background

During and following high school graduation, Daryl worked in a few entry-level jobs, and started commuting to Olympic Community College in Bremerton for its Firefighter In Training program. He earned his International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) Fire Fighter 1 Certification in 1995. Continuing his educational path, Daryl earned his Paramedic Certificate from Tacoma Community College in 2001, while working as a paramedic for Spokane American Medical Response from 2000 through 2002. That fall he hired on with South Beach Ambulance Service as a paramedic.

Brown earned his Associates Degree in Nursing in 2014 from Excelsior University, a private accredited online educational institution in Albany, New York. He worked part-time in various nursing roles from 2015 to 2018. His Registered Nurse license is currently inactive as he fulfills his administrative role at the SBRFA.

Family Matters

Daryl and his wife Nicole married in 2005. They met locally through a mutual friend and Daryl says they have been inseparable ever since. Nicole has held a number of increasingly responsible positions with Timberland Bank for the past 25 years. The couple moved to Cosmopolis in 2007 where they are raising their two children.

They are active in their community and church and Daryl sings on its Worship Team.

Hobbies and Interests

Daryl says that he loves spending time with his family and friends. He also enjoys traveling. “We’ve covered about half of the United States so far with the goal to hit all 50 states. We also try to seek a sunny destination once a year to dry out from Grays Harbor,” he said. He also loves to play his guitar to de-stress.

Congratulations on your well-deserved promotion, Fire Chief Brown! And… Many thanks for your decades of service to our South Beach community and wholehearted commitment to continue to do so.

Anne Beasley