Yuma Proving Ground names Matthew Kelly as new fire chief

Matthew Kelly has taken over as fire chief at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground, putting a longtime insider in charge of the installation’s first-response system. The promotion matters well beyond the fence line in western Arizona because YPG’s fire department is part of the safety net for a major military post that supports testing and training missions, and its crews are the first help on scene from one of three fire stations.

Kelly had served as interim chief for more than six months before being named permanently to the post. Before that, he was deputy fire chief, and he has worked at YPG for six years. His path at the proving ground began in 2020 as training chief, later included service as assistant chief of operations, and took him away from Arizona for eight months when he was mobilized to the Middle East as an Air Force reservist.

The Army said YPG’s fire stations provide emergency medical services as well as fire response, a detail that underscores how much the department covers on its own before outside help arrives. Rural Metro is about 30 minutes away, so the on-post crews carry added responsibility when incidents involve YPG personnel, equipment or training activity. At a proving ground, that can mean anything from structural emergencies to more specialized risks tied to military operations.

Kelly’s appointment signals continuity inside a specialized department rather than a break from past practice. He brings more than two decades of fire-service and Air Force experience, including 10 years on active duty and 16 years in the reserves, and he said he wants to keep strengthening community bonds. He also described his leadership focus through the three P’s: people, processes and programs.

For Yuma County, the change lands during a broader turnover in senior leadership at the post. YPG’s official news page showed a new commander was announced June 11, just days before the fire-chief announcement. That sequence puts public safety, mission readiness and coordination with surrounding agencies at the center of a leadership reset at one of the region’s most important employers.