Joe Kerr
Born	(1959-12-22) December 22, 1959 (age 64) Port Jervis, New York
Occupation	Retired Firefighter Captain
Years active	46 Years
Political party	Democratic Party
Website	joekerrforcongress.com

Joseph Kerr (born on December 22nd, 1959) is a former firefighter captain who was a member of the Orange County Fire Authority from 1978 to 2012 ^[1]. A member of the Democratic Party, Joe is running for the United States House of Representatives to represent California's 40th Congressional District and will be on the ballot on Election Day, November 5th, 2024 ^[2].

Kerr served as a Fire Captain for the Orange County Fire Authority for 34 years from Jan 13, 1978 to March 23, 2012. He was also elected as the first president of the Orange County Professional Firefighter's Association, a position that he held for 17 years from April 1995 until he retried as a firefighter in March 23, 2012. Other positions include vice president of California Professional Firefighters from 1999 to 2004, vice president of the Orange County Central Labor Council (AFL-CIO), and vice chair of the Regional Water Quality Control Board ^[3].

Kerr was born in Port Jervis, New York to James Kerr and Rosemarie Kerr. He graduated from Columbia Southern University, attending the school for Fire Administration, and he also attended and completed the Harvard Trade Union Program 2005.

He worked as a Brink's Armed Guard in Downtown Los Angeles before becoming a firefighter.

Kerr served as a second-generation firefighter, serving as Fire Captain for both the Orange County Fire Authority along with the Orange County Fire Department. During his time as a firefighter, Joe held a wide variety of specialty positions such as: Fire Academy Coordinator, Fire Academy Instructor, Strategic Planner, Fire Information Officer, Public Education Officer, Wildland Fire Defense Planner, Prescription Burn Boss, and Vegetation Management (Fuels) Officer.

He also served as a union leader, becoming the first president of the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association, also known as IAFF 3631. He was also the Vice President of the California Professional Firefighters. In addition, he was also the Southern Director for the California State Firefighters Association from 1994 to 1995, and a former Vice President of the Orange County Central Labor Council (AFL-CIO) from 1998 to 2015. He was appointed by the General President of the International Association of Firefighters to serve as the 10th District Field Service Representative (DFSR), a district that represents professional firefighters and paramedics in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Hawaii, and held that position from 2000 to 2005 ^[1].

In 2003, Governor Gray Davis appointed Kerr to the California Workforce Development Board of Directors, acting as an advisor to the governor on the issues relating to California workers up until 2004. In 2018, he was appointed by Governor Gavin Newson to California Regional Water Quality Control Board Region 8, responsible for enforcing the Clean Water Act in three counties with a total population of 8,000,000 people, where he served as Vice Chair until he stepped down in 2022. ^[4]

In 1981, following Kerr's response to an Air California jetliner crash at John Wayne Airport, the Orange County Board of Supervisors awards him with a Certificate of Merit. He was awarded with the Courage Under Fire Awards by the Orange County Fire Authority in 1994, after reviving a non-breathing occupant trapped under a residential structure fire. After retirement, in 2012, he was awarded with various awards for helping save the life of a 11-month old baby girl trapped, who had drowned and stopped breathing in a backyard swimming pool. ^[1]

Kerr is married to China Kerr, with whom has one son, Joey Kerr (born November 18, 2003) who was conceived through IVF (in vitro fertilization). ^[1]