KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – On Thursday night, Kansas City invited residents to meet the final three candidates for the Kansas City Fire Department chief position. While none are from the area, all come with decades of experience to lead the department.
It comes following interim Kansas City Fire Chief Ross Grundyson’s announcement in September that he planned to step down in January 2026. The event was held at the Truman Forum Auditorium at the Kansas City Public Library Plaza Branch. The city provided summaries of each of the candidates:
Michael Marino is a candidate for the KCFD Fire Chief role.(Courtesy Prince George County)
Michael Marino is a multifaceted public safety executive with 25 years in fire, EMS, homeland security, and emergency management. His career includes senior leadership roles in the National Capital Region, including Director of Emergency Preparedness for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and Assistant Fire Chief of Prince George’s County (MD) Fire/EMS.
Marino has commanded complex operations involving special operations, intelligence, mass-casualty response, and large-scale incident planning. His background is rooted in innovation, data-driven decision-making, and regional collaboration.
He brings significant experience integrating fire service operations with emergency management, law enforcement, and federal partners.
Michael Mire is a candidate for the KCFD Fire Chief role.(Houston Fire Department)
Michael Mire offers nearly three decades of leadership within the Houston Fire Department, one of the largest in the country. His tenure includes Assistant Chief roles over emergency response, special operations, and all-hazards incident management, with responsibility for a 670-square-mile service area and more than 4,000 responders.
Mire has overseen complex emergency operations, major multi-alarm incidents, and department-wide programs aimed at modernization and service improvement.
His background reflects deep operational knowledge, experience serving a large and diverse population, and a strong emphasis on readiness and community-focused leadership.
Craig Buckley is a candidate for the KCFD Fire Chief role.(City of Orlando)
Craig Buckley brings more than four decades of all-hazards emergency response experience across local, state, and federal service. He has served as Interim Fire Chief for the City of Orlando, Deputy Chief overseeing Orlando’s Fire Operations Bureau, and Deputy Chief of Administrative Services.
His background includes leading airport fire operations, managing major special events such as Universal Orlando’s incident response, and serving on FEMA’s National Incident Management Assistance Team.
Buckley’s experience reflects deep operational leadership, extensive hazardous materials expertise, and a long history of supervisory command roles in large, urban departments.
“Selecting our next Fire Chief is an important moment for Kansas City, and transparency is essential in that process. This forum gives residents a clear look at each finalist and their vision for the future of KCFD. I appreciate everyone taking the time to listen and stay engaged as we move forward,” said City Manager Mario Vasquez in a press release about the event.
Each candidate answered the same pre-selected community questions, such as response times and improving retaining women and people of color at KCFD.
The candidates also gave presentations. During his presentation, Buckley walked through his resume and stated leadership starts with experience. He says his leadership style is leading by example and being forward-thinking.
“It’s my job to establish direction, align people, inspire and motivate, that’s more of the transformational thing, to be able to make change, and to be able to inspire people,” said Buckley. “Again, I’m high visibility and hands on.”
In his presentation, Marino highlighted his commitments to honesty, accountability, transparency, and improvements if they’re needed. He also discussed his people-first approach if he were to lead KCFD.
“My vision for the fire department is very clear: that it’s safe for it’s people, that it’s trusted by the community, and inspired in it’s operations,” said Marino.
Mire emphasized having a clear and community-based approach to the department if he were to become chief, as well as his dedicated to health and safety, customer service, and fair and equitable treatment.
“We will be innovative, we will develop new processes, we will be visionaries and forward thinking to move the organization forward,” said Mire. “But more importantly, we will develop our people here in Kansas City.”
Vasquez says he will have one-on-one interviews with each candidate on Friday, and he hopes to make a final decision as soon as possible.
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