Attorney General Knudsen appoints state fire marshal and chief medical examiner

HELENA – Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced today the appointment of Dirk Johnson as state fire marshal and Dr. Walter Kemp as Montana’s chief medical examiner. Both roles are vital to the Department of Justice’s mission to uphold public safety in the state.

“I’m proud to promote two experienced employees to head two very important offices at the Montana Department of Justice,” Attorney General Knudsen said. “I’m confident that they will continue to embody our commitment to public safety in their new roles.”

Johnson had been serving as acting state fire marshal since August 2021. From October 2020 through August 2021, he served as deputy fire marshal. Prior to joining the Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation, he was the fire marshal for the City of Great Falls and brings 22 years of fire experience to the role.

The Fire Prevention and Investigation Section is charged with overseeing the fire prevention and investigation services of nearly 400 fire agencies, 56 county sheriff’s departments, more than 60 city police departments, and many other state and federal agencies.

Kemp will assume the role of Montanan’s chief medical examiner in May following the retirement of Dr. Rob Kurtzman.  Previously, Kemp was the deputy state medical examiner for Montana. He also spent five years as associate professor of pathology at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences where he taught medical students and performed autopsies for North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota. Kemp brings over 17 years of experience as a forensic pathologist to the role.

The Montana Medical Examiner’s Offices is a bureau within the DOJ’s Forensic Science Division that provides autopsy services and death investigation resources for county coroners, law enforcement agencies, and county attorneys.