A Record of Public Service
Joe Kerr is a second-generation firefighter who served as a Fire Captain with the Orange County Fire Authority for 34 years. He was elected as the first President of the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association, a position he held for 17 years. He is the former Vice President of the California Professional Firefighters, and a former Vice President of the Orange County Central Labor Council (AFL-CIO). Joe has helped respond to nearly every significant disaster in Orange County over the past three decades.
Getting Things Done
As a labor leader, Joe helped get over 200 bills and initiatives passed and signed into law by 5 governors and 2 presidents. These bills and initiatives offered solutions to public safety, climate change, and policies to help working people. When firefighters and first responders needed a new healthcare system, Joe created one that reduced costs, increased benefits, and did not raise a penny in taxes. When the Orange County Board of Supervisors asked Joe to balance the OCFA $500M annual budget, he did - three years in a row. When Joe noticed a need to refund Orange County taxpayers $600M in Vehicle License Fees, he got the job done. Joe has led on the most critical issues facing the country, and will take his proven record of leadership to Congress.
A Decorated Firefighter
Joe was awarded Fireman of the Year by the Cypress Fire Department in 1979, Overachiever of the Year by the Orange County Firemen’s Association in 1984, and Fire Captain of the Year by the Orange County Fire Department in 1986. In 1981, he was given a Certificate of Merit from the Orange County Board of Supervisors for his role while responding to the Air California jetliner crash at John Wayne Airport. Joe was also presented with the Courage Under Fire Award in 1999 for rescuing and reviving a non-breathing occupant who was trapped in a residential structure fire. In 2012 after retiring, Joe received numerous awards and recognitions for helping save the life of a baby who was drowning and had stopped breathing in a swimming pool.