The Missouri Times, December 29, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Missouri State Council of Fire Fighters (MSCFF), the largest fire fighter union in the state, elected Sherwood Smith as their newest president Dec. 14.

“It’s humbling, I appreciate it and I feel good about them having confidence in me,” Smith said.

Smith has a long history as a fire fighter and as a leader in the firefighting community. He has served in the Kansas City, Missouri Fire Department for over 35 years and for 25 of those, he has been a captain. He has also earned the Medal of Bravery, the department’s second highest honor, twice, and he has been active in politics at both the local in Kansas City and working on campaigns for Noel Torpey, Sam Graves, Gov. Jay Nixon and Sen. Claire McCaskill.

After losing an election for a seat in the Kansas City legislature in 2014, Smith will have a chance to influence policy and guide the over 6,000 volunteer members of his union at the state level.

“We advocate for all first responders which includes prosecutors, EMS, nurses, fire fighters, so some of the things we’re looking for is things that affect public safety,” Smith said, making direct mention of Rep. Jeanie Lauer’s 911 legislation.

“[It] makes sure that anyone with a mobile phone can dial 911, that’s probably one of our top priorities,” he said.

Smith added that the upcoming session and the session to come in years ahead would offer a lot of opportunities for the union and that he was proud to be placed at the helm.

“It’s going to be a big task,” Smith said. “We have a great team in place, and the previous president did a great job. But there are challenges still in front of us and I appreciate them having the confidence in me to think we can move to the next level.”