Meet the Chief and Command Staff

Brad Bolen

Emergency Services Assistant Chief

Brad Bolen is an executive Chief Officer for the Boise Fire Department with over 30 years of experience in the fire service, and the current rank of Assistant Fire Chief managing the Emergency Services Division. The Emergency Services Division is comprised of 285 personnel reporting to 3 Division Chiefs who manage Operations, Training and Safety, Special Operations, and Emergency Medical Services. Additionally, he is part of the Fire Chief’s Executive Team which is involved in setting program direction, as well as supporting the city-wide initiatives and goals, implementing standards and policies, and adjusting the course of our mission to meet the community’s needs.

Brad has worked for the Boise Fire Department for over a decade and has held the positions of Division Chief of Operations, and Division Chief of Safety and Training. Prior to coming to the Boise Fire Department, Brad served 20 years working for the Bureau of Land Management’s Fire and Aviation program starting as an entry level firefighter and working his way up through various Fire and Aviation positions ending with Division Chief.

Romeo Gervais

Support Services Assistant Chief

Romeo Gervais has served as the Assistant Chief of Support Services for the Boise Fire Department since 2021. As the Support Services Assistant Chief, he leads the Fire Prevention, Logistics, and Wildfire Divisions. Prior to his current role, he served as the Deputy Chief - Fire Marshal for the department for nearly 10 years.

Chief Gervais started his fire service career in 1992 as a volunteer firefighter with the Hope Valley-Wyoming Fire District in Rhode Island. This led him to study Fire Protection Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where he received his Master of Science Degree. During his schooling, he served as a Student Firefighter for the Auburn Fire Department. Following graduation, he worked as a fire protection engineer with Gage-Babcock and Associates, while continuing to volunteer as a firefighter. In 2001, he became the Deputy Fire Marshal for the Loveland Fire & Rescue Authority in Loveland, Colorado, and held that role until 2011.

Chief Gervais is a licensed Professional Engineer and holds certifications from the International Code Council as a Certified Fire Marshal, Certified Building Code Official, and Certified Fire Code Official. He is also a Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI) through the National Association of Fire Investigators. Chief Gervais is a 2024 graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer (EFO) program.

Kelsie Carnosso

Chief Administrative Officer

Kelsie Carnosso is the Chief Administrative Officer for the Boise Fire Department, overseeing the Business Services section, which includes the Planning, Administration, and Technology divisions. Since joining the department in 2018, she has led strategic planning, managed the project portfolio, and directed budgeting and contract processes to support the department’s growth and community-focused mission.

As part of the Fire Chief’s Executive Team, Kelsie works to strengthen partnerships, advance city-wide initiatives, and implement policies that meet evolving public safety needs. A Boise native, she and her husband are raising their two children in the community they proudly call home.

Jason Lewis

Division Chief Training and Safety

Jason Lewis is a dedicated professional serving as the Division Chief of Training at the Boise Fire Department. Born and raised in the Treasure Valley, Jason has deep roots in the community he serves.

At the core of Jason's professional mission is the commitment to providing a positive and engaging learning environment tailored to the unique adult learning styles of the remarkable men and women of the Boise Fire Department. He believes in empowering his colleagues through effective training, ensuring they are well-equipped to handle the challenges they face in their line of duty.

Jason has two beautiful daughters, one of whom aspires to become the future Training Chief. He credits his amazing wife for balancing fun and discipline in the household.

With a future-focused perspective, Jason looks forward to many more years of collaboration with mission-driven individuals, dedicated to serving their community with integrity and excellence.

When he is not working, Jason enjoys patio beers, wilderness adventures and golf.

Michael Walker

Division Chief Special Operations

Michael Walker is an Idaho native and fifth-generation resident, who grew up in Nampa. After graduating from Linfield College with a degree in math and physics, he embarked on a career in firefighting. Chief Walker spent a season as a wildland firefighter with the Sawtooth National Forest before being hired by the Boise Fire Department in May 1995.

Throughout his career, Chief Walker has made significant contributions to the department. He has been a key member of the technical rescue team since its inception and has progressed through every operations position, from firefighter to battalion chief. As a training officer for six years, Chief Walker managed four recruit academies and has been an instructor both within the department and as an external fire service educator, covering a wide range of topics including tactics, strategy, building construction, and technical rescue.

Chief Walker has also been actively involved in the Boise Firefighters Local 149 union, including serving as a lobbyist for the Professional Firefighters of Idaho.

Outside of work, Chief Walker is a dedicated parent to four children—two girls and two boys. He enjoys a variety of hobbies, including climbing, skiing, and sailing.

Kurt Freeman

Division Chief EMS

Kurt Freeman grew up in Idaho, where he attended school, met and married his amazing wife and together they are finishing the last few years of raising the youngest three of their six children. Kurt started his career as a volunteer Firefighter/EMT in 2002 while living and building homes on the Washington coast. He graduated from Paramedic School in 2005 and worked as a transport EMT and later Paramedic. Kurt joined the Boise Fire Department in 2007 in the early days of the Boise Fire Firefighter/Paramedic Program and has spent his career working to develop the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) education at Boise Fire and throughout Ada County while serving as a Firefighter/Paramedic, Training Captain of EMS, Interim Division Chief of EMS, and now Division Chief of EMS.

Kurt is proud to serve the men and women of the Boise Fire Department and believes the mission of the EMS Division is to help each member of the Boise Fire Department become capable and confident providers of emergency medicine. Our members are first on-scene when citizens in need call 911 and they bridge the gap between an emergency event and arrival at the hospital. His goal is to assure that each member of the Boise Fire Department has the knowledge, tools, and training they need to provide high-quality emergency care on our citizens’ worst days.

Jeremy Kircher

Division Chief Logistics

A lifelong Boise resident with more than two decades in the fire service, Jeremy brings a deep connection to the community and a broad range of experience to his role as Division Chief of Logistics. He began his career in 2002 as a volunteer with North Ada County Fire & Rescue before joining the Boise Fire Department in 2006. His early years in Operations included assignments with Technical Rescue Team, Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF), as well as Hazardous Materials Team.

In 2011, Jeremy transitioned to the Fire Prevention Division as a Fire Inspector, focusing on risk reduction and community safety. He later served as a Training Captain for more than a decade, assisting with the design, construction, and facility management of the Boise Fire Training Center. In that time, he also assisted in advancing department training programs, lending consistency to promotional processes and had the privilege of working with all of Boise’s amazing professional firefighters.

Today, Jeremy oversees the systems that ensure operational readiness—managing apparatus, equipment, supply chains, and facility operations. This Logistics Division, which includes four full-time Logistics Captains, a part-time SCBA Technician, and a Warehouse Specialist, play a critical role in protecting the citizens of Boise by supplying and maintaining the resources that enable emergency response.

Outside of work, he enjoys camping in Idaho’s great outdoors with family and friends.

Mike Bisagno

Division Chief Fire Prevention / Fire Marshal

Mike Bisagno is the Division Chief – Fire Marshal for the Boise Fire Department, serving the department since 2004. He manages the Fire Prevention Division for the Boise Fire Department. The Fire Prevention Division is responsible for fire plan reviews, construction/operational permit inspections, fire and life safety inspections, and fire investigations within the City of Boise and the NACFR and Whitney fire districts.

Mike has been with the Boise Fire Department since 2010. Prior to coming to the Boise Fire Department, he was a firefighter with the North Ada County Fire District, where he was the IAFF Local 2311’s Union President. He has worked as a firefighter/EMT, HazMat technician, and Fire Prevention Captain/Inspector. Mike was formerly a chairman/secretary of the Boise Fire & Police Trust’s board of trustees and the IAFF Local #149’s Union President and executive board member. Mike is a graduate of the College of Idaho and has lived in the Treasure Valley since 1990.

Rachel Holford

Emergency Preparedness Manager

Rachel Holford is the City of Boise’s Emergency Manager, and has been in Public Safety since 2002. Rachel leads the Office of Emergency Preparedness, which coordinates with all city departments regarding planning and training for the safety and security of employees. This office plays a vital role in coordinating safety and security elements, capabilities, and collaboration amongst the response and support resources in the event of local emergencies, and for large scale pre-planned events. She believes in a whole community approach to preparedness by engaging county, state, and federal emergency management programs, and local community stakeholders.

Prior to Emergency Preparedness Rachel spent 15 years working in law enforcement as a criminal intelligence analyst and project manager. She is a graduate of the National Disaster & Emergency Management University with basic, advanced, and executive level accreditation.

Rachel is currently the Vice Chair for the Idaho Voluntary Organizations Aiding in Disasters and participates on local and regional All Hazards Incident Management and Support Teams. Growing up locally, she feels very strongly about community involvement and finding ways to support one another.