Chief Brent VanKeulen is the Deputy Chief at Central Pierce Fire & Rescue. He is a 27-year veteran of the Oregon Fire Service, beginning as a student volunteer firefighter and rising through the ranks as the Division Chief at Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue (TVF&R). While at TVF&R, Chief VanKeulen held multiple positions and worked in all areas of emergency response. As a Division Chief, Brent managed the operations of a large training division responsible for training more than 500 employees. Other assignments included leading the EMS division, implementing EMS transport, expanding services to an additional city, and managing innovation initiatives, including the development of an in-house iOS iPad application that uses artificial intelligence to assist emergency responders with better decision making.
Since retiring from TVF&R in 2019, Brent has served as the Deputy Director for the Western Fire Chiefs Association and now as a strategic advisor. He seeks to continually improve the user experience by focusing on the intersection between public safety and technology.
