Kent-based Puget Sound Fire Deputy Chief Jimmy Webb dies of cancer

Published 12:43 pm Monday, September 8, 2025

Kent-based Puget Sound Fire Deputy Chief Jimmy Webb, 55, a 26-year veteran of the department, died Sept. 5 of cancer.

Webb was diagnosed with cancer in late December 2024, according to Puget Sound Fire spokesperson Pat Pawlak. He retired from the agency June 30, after nearly four years as deputy chief. It is considered a line-of-duty death due to occupational-related cancer.

“Jimmy bravely fought a battle with cancer, acquired during his selfless service,” according to a Sept. 7 Puget Sound Fire press release. “Jimmy’s positive spirit, his unwavering passion for service, and his love for his family and friends have left an indelible mark in the hearts of all who knew him.”

Webb died from glioblastoma, Pawlak said.

Glioblastoma is a malignant tumor affecting the brain or spine and can happen at any age, according to mayoclinic.org. It grows quickly and can invade and destroy healthy tissue. It can happen at any age, but tends to happen more often in older adults.

Glioblastoma symptoms may include headaches that keep getting worse, nausea and vomiting, blurred or double vision, trouble speaking, altered sense of touch, and seizures, according to mayoclinic.org. There also may be trouble with balance, coordination, and moving parts of the face or body. There’s no cure for glioblastoma. Treatments might slow cancer growth and reduce symptoms.

Webb began working for Puget Sound Fire, then known as the Kent Fire Department, in April 1999. He held ranks of firefighter, engineer, captain, battalion chief, division chief and deputy chief.

In his early years as a firefighter, he was a member of the HazMat team and the Ladder Company, but he also spent time in training as the Training Consortium was being developed. He collaborated with Marty Hauer to establish a fitness committee and spent several years working with Mitch Snyder to get FD Cares, up and running 11 years ago. FD Cares sends a nurse and a social worker to nonemergency calls to connect patients with the appropriate level of care and resources.

As a captain, Webb proposed the idea of running the agency’s own academy to the administration and then personally designed and led the first few classes of recruits through an academy he essentially built from the ground up.

After being promoted to battalion chief, Webb spent about four years as a shift battalion chief before being assigned back to Training, where he eventually became the deputy chief of the South King County Fire Training Consortium, the position from which he retired two months ago.

Webb oversaw the training of 15 organizations, working to merge multiple cultures and systems into a unified organization that now provides training for nearly 1,500 personnel.

“His contributions to this department were immeasurable, and his impact will be forever felt,” according to Puget Sound Fire.

Prior to his fire service career, Webb served in the U.S. Navy from 1988 to 1994.

Webb, who lived in the Covington area, is survived by his wife, Pam, his children, Megan, Courtney, and Nathan, his mother Glenda, his sisters Gina, Janet, and his three grandchildren Jack, Elliott and Sage.

“Jimmy cherished his family and friends immensely,” according to Puget Sound Fire. “He loved Pam deeply, loved being a father and grandfather and loved the fire service. In his free time, Jimmy loved spending time with his family and friends, camping, traveling and cheering for the Oklahoma Sooners football and softball teams, as well as playing fantasy football.”

Details about a Celebration of Life for Webb have yet to be released.

• In lieu of flowers, the Webb family requests a donation to the North Carolina-based Glioblastoma Research Foundation https://www.gbmresearch.org/donate, in memory of Jimmy Webb.

Previous firefighter death

Webb is the second Puget Sound Fire firefighter to die of line-of-duty cancer in less than three months.

Capt. Brandon Minneman, 43, a 17-year veteran, died June 24 of cancer.

Minneman died of synovial sarcoma, according to Pawlak. It is a rare type of cancer that tends to occur near large joints, mainly the knees and usually affects young adults, according to mayoclinic.org.

“While firefighters do wear protective equipment, our bunker gear does not protect us from all carcinogenic exposures on the fire ground,” Pawlak said.

Occupational cancer caused 65% of the career firefighter line-of-duty deaths in the United States from Jan. 1, 2002, to Dec. 31, 2021, according to data from the International Association of Fire Fighters at firefightercancersupport.org. Firefighters have a 9% higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer and a 14% higher risk of dying from cancer than the general U.S. population.

Kent-based Puget Sound Fire serves Covington, Kent, Maple Valley, SeaTac, Tukwila and King County Fire Districts 37 and 43.