Two fire chiefs were recently appointed in Illinois and Kansas, while one chief was bestowed an honor in Canada.

The Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs designated Dean Gerhart a chief fire officer. Gerhart is director of fire and emergency services in Powell River, British Columbia, Canada. The designation is given to those chief officers who reach a high level of professionalism. The association has given out 35 of these designations.

John Paul Jones, a 20-year fire department veteran, was named the new chief of the Kansas City (Kan.) Fire Department. The appointment follows a two-month national search that brought in more than 30 candidates. He replaces former Fire Chief Tom DeKeyser who retired in June after leading the department since 1996.

Jones holds a master's degree in fire administration and emergency management with an emphasis in labor-management relations and public administration. He also holds a bachelor's degree with an emphasis in diversity issues and labor relations.

Jones has named Robert Rocha and Kevin Shirley to serve as deputy chiefs.

The Springfield State Journal Register reports that Joe Crowe was named Athens-Fancy (Ill.) Prairie Fire District chief. Crowe had been assistant chief and told the paper that he hopes to bring the district into Illinois' Mutual Aid Box Alarm System. He also said he wants to encourage firefighters to get more training and he hoped to improve fire prevention efforts.

Bennett Kennedy Jr., former chief of the West Palm Beach (Fla.) Fire Rescue, died Sept. 8; he was 83. Kennedy served as chief from 1971 to 1981 and served 18 years as director of emergency management for Palm Beach County.