The Board of Selectmen today appointed Russell Kimes III to be the full-time Emergency Management Director, a new position created to oversee the town’s emergency management programs and response.
Mr. Kimes has served as part-time Emergency Management Director since September of 2020.
Mr. Kimes is a third-generation lifetime resident of New Canaan and has been a volunteer with the New Canaan Fire Company #1 for 24 years, serving as the Assistant Chief of the Department for a decade. He holds numerous national firefighting and incident management certifications as well as is a certified Emergency Medical Technician and has years of experience working in the New Canaan Emergency Operations Center including Hurricanes Sandy and Irene.
He is also a member of the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) Safety Team, responsible for on-track emergency response at various tracks across the US and Canada for major spectator events including the annual Rolex 24 hour race in Daytona. He also works with IndyCar, NASCAR and Formula 1 events in varying capacities.
In announcing his appointment, First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said,
“Today New Canaan took the important step of reinforcing our commitment to keeping our town safe against all perils. I am very pleased that Russ Kimes has agreed to devote his career to strengthening our emergency services including volunteer Fire, EMS and CERT.”