Fire and Life Safety Administration
Rodger Kemmer, Deputy Chief/Fire Marshal
Rodger Kemmer began his fire service career in 1967 as a volunteer Firefighter/EMT with the “Rescue Squad” in Washington Township, near Dayton Ohio. Rodger also spent 10 years as a Shift Captain on a Fire Department that protected a federal nuclear weapons site. After earning his AS in Fire Science in 1976, he became a Relief Captain and was given the responsibility for the site’s emergency planning function.
Rodger’s obsession with boating brought him to Florida in 1981. He quickly became the Fire Protection Administrator for the Nuclear Energy Department at FP&L. While at FP&L, Rodger earned a BS in Fire Science & Safety from FIU in 1985. In 1988 he began working for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to become the Fire Protection Manager at the Sequoyah Nuclear Power Station near Chattanooga. In 1990, Rodger went to the Savannah River Site, a completely self-contained nuclear weapons facility
with four fire stations and several nuclear reactors, to become a Fire Protection Engineer in the Fire Protection Oversight Group.
In 1992, Rodger began specializing in Fire Hazard Analysis for several Department of Energy nuclear weapons facilities, including Rocky Flats (Denver), Oak Ridge (Knoxville), plus additional facilities in Kansas City and Pinellas County, Florida. In 1996, Rodger accepted a position with Industrial Risk Insurers as a Field Engineer. He has also worked with Martin County Fire Rescue as a Plans Examiner before coming to Boynton Beach to eventually become our Fire Protection Engineer. Rodger, of course, is now Deputy Chief/Fire Marshal for Boynton Beach Fire Rescue.
Jim MacIntyre, Fire Protection Engineer
On January 11, 1969 Jim “Jimmy Mac” MacIntyre was appointed to the New York City Fire Department for the position of Firefighter and successfully completed, New York City Fire Academy, Probationary Firefighter School. He was assigned to serve in engine companies in Harlem and Queens before being selected to attend the New York City Fire Department Engine Chauffeur Training School where he attained the highest rating in his class.
In 1983 Jim was promoted to the rank of Fire Marshal and successfully completed the New York City Fire Department Academy, Fire Investigation Course. He was then assigned to the Arson Task Force Unit (Red Cap Program). This was a mobile unit that was moved to areas with the highest incidents of arson and false alarms for approximately three-month periods at a time. This program was recognized nationally for its effectiveness in lowering arsons, false alarms and all other crimes in areas where it operated. In 1985 Jim was reassigned to the Eastern Brooklyn Fire Investigation Base which conducted more in-depth investigations and where he was cited for Meritorious Duty twice for the investigation and apprehension of a Drug Dealer responsible for an Arson 1st degree/ attempted murder and who was also wanted for multiple homicides(1987), and also for the arrest of two-armed robbery suspects(1986).
“Jimmy Mac” retired from the New York City Fire Department on March 12, 1991 and relocated to South Florida shortly there after. In 1993 he joined Boynton Beach Fire Rescue as a Fire Inspector, later reclassified as Assistant Fire Marshal. He is now the Lead Fire Investigator for the City of Boynton Beach, Fire and Life Safety Division. Jim was also nominated for the State of Florida, Fire Inspector of the Year, by the Boynton Beach Fire Marshal in 2000.
Jim is a member of the National Association of Fire Investigators and became a Nationally Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator by meeting the standards of the National Certification Board in August, 2001. Jim also held the position of 2nd Vice President of the Palm Beach County Fire Marshal’s Association of Palm Beach County, 2000-2002.
Katie McCray, Assistant Fire Marshal/Fire Investigator/Inspector
Katie McCray has been with Boynton Beach Fire Rescue since 1996 and serves as a certified fire investigator and fire inspector. She is also certified in code enforcement. Katie is our lead child safety technician and heads up the local child safety seat program, installing car seats for residents to ensure that they are in compliance with all applicable laws. She also teaches parents how to properly restrain their children while driving in an automobile. Katie is certified through the National Safety Kids and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Keeping it “all in the family,” Katie’s husband is a firefighter with the City of West Palm Beach and she has one son with the Pompano Beach Fire Department. Her other son is in the IB program at Suncoast High School where he is on the basketball team. Katie is well-known around Boynton Beach Fire Rescue as a dedicated wife and mother. She loves spending time with her family and she is famous for her extremely impressive shopping skills!
Ron Paquette, Assistant Fire Marshal/Fire Investigator/Inspector
Ron Paquette is a 1969 graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He married his lovely wife, Jeanne, who currently serves BBFRD as our Administrative Payroll Associate. Later that same year, Ron joined the Army and served in Okinawa, Japan, until 1971. In 1972, he joined the Norton Company until his retirement in 2003. Upon his retirement, Ron attended PBCC's Fire Academy where he received his Fire Inspector Certification. Next, Ron began his career with the City of Boynton Beach working at The Links golf course until 2005 when a position in our Fire & Life Safety Division finally opened and Ron has served as an Assistant Fire Marshal ever since.
Calvin Simmons, Assistant Fire Marshal/Fire Investigator/Inspector
Calvin Simmons started with the city in 1992 working for public works as an epuipment operator for 14 years. In 2005, he attended the PBCC Fire Academy where he received his fire inspector certification. After joining fire rescue in 2006 as a fire inspector, Calvin completed his certification as a fire explosion investigator with the National Association of Fire Investigators ( NAFI ). He also attained a code enforcement officer certification with the Florida Association of Code Enforcement and is now serving as an Assistant Fire Marshal. Calvin has been married for 15 years to wife Shuntell and they have two lovely daughters, Chelsea and Chanzie.
Rick Lee, Plans Reviewer/Fire Protection Engineer
Rick Lee is a new and most welcome addition to Boynton Beach Fire Rescue and the city. He serves as the cities Plans Reviewer/Inspector and also as a Fire Inspector. Rick is a veteran of both Korea and the Vietnam wars which is where he really began his fire career in earnest. He joined the United States Navy in 1962 and switched to regular army in June of 1963 where he was given firefighter training. In 1970, he left the military and eventually joined the Delray Beach Fire Department in 1972. His duties in Delray (our neighbor to the south) included Firefighter Engineer, Lieutenant Fire Inspection and acting training officer. Rick retired from Delray in 2000.
Over the next four years, Rick established his own Life Safety consulting business before coming on board with us in 2004. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience including an AA in Sociology (soon to be a BA) and he has completed the course work for an AS in Fire Science Technology. Rick is a State Certified Fire Inspector and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). He has also served as Lead Instructor at the Palm Beach Fire Academy teaching the Basic Standards course and also Fire Prevention. Rick is a certified “train the trainer” for Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) programs around Palm Beach County.
Jake LeJeune, Assistant Fire Marshal/Fire Investigator
In 2003, while working semester breaks on oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, Jake LeJeune earned an Associate’s Degree in Fire Science from Louisiana State University at Eunice; he continued his education and in 2005 received both an associate’s degree in police studies and a Bachelor of Science degree in fire and safety engineering technology, with a concentration in fire, arson, and explosion investigation from Eastern Kentucky University. Before coming to Boynton Beach Fire and Life Safety in 2007, Jake worked for a fire sprinkler company throughout the year of 2006 as a Water-Based Fire Protection Inspector.
Jake’s certifications include: FireSafety Inspector I; Fire Inspector II; Plan Examiner I; Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator, Certified Vehicle Fire Investigator, Certified Fire Investigation Instructor.
Jake’s professional memberships include: National Association of Fire Investigators (NAFI); International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI); Fire Marshal Association of Palm Beach County; Florida Fire Marshals and Inspectors Association.
Administrative Associate of Fire & Life Safety, Joanne Pavlik
Joanne has been a member of Boynton Beach Fire Rescue since 1999.