Click here for the Obituary for R. E. “Dick” West


Press Release from Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue

It is with great sadness that Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue announce the passing of Fire Commissioner
and retired Fire Chief, Dick West. Commissioner West passed away in February 2022, quietly in his
home surrounded by family. Uniformed personnel were also present, and in line with fire service
tradition, Commissioner West’s position and contributions to the community were recognized.
Commissioner West spent over four decades in the fire service. He served as a Chief Officer in the State
of Oregon for 19 years and then in Washington State with Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue from 1981-
2001, before being elected as a CKFR Fire Commissioner in 2011. Over the last several years,
Commissioner West served as the CKFR Board Chairman and as the Chairman of the CK Medic One
Foundation, a nonprofit organization that he helped form in 1995.

Commissioner West was a visionary fire service leader with a larger than life personality. His many years
of service as a Chief and Commissioner embodied our core covenants of integrity, duty, loyalty and
respect. He left an indelible mark on our organization, and his legacy will live on in perpetuity through
the many lives he’s touched. Commissioner West will be missed by all, but most of all by his loving wife,
Bonita, his family, and the many people he mentored in life and profession.

In lieu of flowers and/or cards, the West family would like donations to be made to the CK Medic One Foundation that he loved and supported for years.

A Memorial Service is planned for Commissioner West on April 2nd, 1:00 PM at the Crossroads
Neighborhood Church, located at 7555 Old Military Rd NE, Bremerton WA 98311.


Commissioner R. E. “Dick” West