Dawn Judkins didn’t set out to be King County’s first female fire chief.
“I’ve never tried to see myself as a female firefighter, a female captain, or a female union president,” said the newly-minted head of Mountain View Fire and Rescue. “I never saw myself in that way. I just wanted to be… the best firefighter, the best captain.”
Though she was only hired as deputy chief at MVFR in 2020, her career path into the top position — from starting out as a volunteer firefighter in her 30s to eventually being installed as a firefighter union president — has been leading her to this spot for two decades, and on March 1, former Chief Greg Smith officially handed over the reins.
But any honeymoon period was short-lived, as Smith died a week later after a short battle with cancer.
Judkins welcomed the dozens of people who attended the Celebration of Life, which was held on April 3 at the Muckleshoot Pentecostal Church, after an honor guard presented colors and the National Anthem sung.
Following her was Donny Stevenson, vice chairman of the Muckleshoot Tribal Council.
“Greg really took it upon himself to get to know the people he was serving and the community… and as a result of that, he found a really special place with the Tribe and our people,” Steveson said, adding that the Council voted to award him with a Tribal blanket, a high honor normally reserved for Muckleshoot members. “I think that’s indicative and really evidence of the type of regard that his service warranted within the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, by our community, by our leadership.”
The service started out with an honor guard and procession bringing in an urn, flag, and firefighter helmet. Photo by Ray Miller-Still
A LITTLE HISTORY
Unlike the new chief, Smith became a firefighter in high school, joining a department as a volunteer in Fairwood, WA, following in the footsteps of his father and brother.
“He spent his entire life in the fire service,” Judkins said, noting that he then became a contract firefighter at Bangor Trident base near Poulsbo before eventually moving on to take charge in MVFR in 1992.
“He was very proud of the way the department has progressed here,” Judkins added, noting that Smith’s experience at the base and leadership style helped make the south King County fire department a more professional, well-oiled machine. “He’d seen a lot of changes here.”
Opposite to Smith, Judkins had no aspirations to become a firefighter — she first got into body building and then accounting.
But she got tired of being middle management and started looking for new, exciting opportunities.
As it so happened, her then-husband’s best friend, who was a firefighter, was unhappy that he was working with female peers.
Judkins took it as a challenge.
“He just had this mentality that women weren’t up to his standard,” she said. “And when I got hired, I was able to… change his mind about that.”
Judkins got her first volunteer gig in Duvall in 2003, and then was hired by 2004 in Tukwila. She soon became involved with her union, hoping to educate politicians and city leadership about what firefighters needed from them to do their job. She eventually became an executive board member and, finally, union president.
She was hired at MVFR as deputy chief in 2020.
Though she was surprised to be King County’s first female fire chief (“for as progressive as this county is,” she said), she knows someone had to be.
“It doesn’t matter to me that I’m the first female anything,” Judkins said. “I just want that to at least open the door for other women to say… ‘I can do that too’.”
