MMU News: New Chief Dale Hutchinson

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

MMU News: New Chief Dale Hutchinson

Merced County supervisors endorse new chief for local Cal Fire unit
The state manages the department for rural areas.

By CORINNE REILLY

A veteran firefighter from Southern California with nearly three decades of experience will serve as Merced County's new fire chief.

Dale Hutchinson started Monday as the new Cal Fire chief for the Madera-Mariposa-Merced unit. That means he'll also serve as the county's fire chief; the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to endorse his appointment.

Hutchinson, 45, comes to the Central Valley from Riverside County, where he last served as deputy chief of western operations for Riverside's Cal Fire unit. He's worked for Cal Fire, the state's fire department, for his entire career. He began in 1980 as a volunteer firefighter and was hired three years later.

Dale Hutchinson - Cal Fire chief MMU

He's served in a variety of posts since then, including municipal and rural assignments. He's also worked in fire investigations and on prevention and planning teams.

Hutchinson's new post is a promotion. He replaces Mikel Martin, who also was recently promoted within Cal Fire.

"I've wanted to be a unit chief for a long time and this opportunity was too good to pass up," Hutchinson said. "The Merced, Madera and Mariposa areas have a lot of characteristics that make them challenging in terms of fire protection, and I'm looking forward to that."

Martin said Hutchinson's breadth of experience makes him a good fit for his new position. "I've had my eye on him for a unit chief job for a long time," he said. "He's incredibly capable." In a statement issued Tuesday, Board of Supervisors chair Deidre Kelsey welcomed Hutchinson.

"We hope to continue the strong working relationship that we have had with our previous chief and work to ensure that Merced County residents are well protected against fire dangers," she said.

Hutchinson lives in the Riverside County town of Banning with his wife, who is a Cal Fire captain, and their two children. He said his family hasn't decided where they'll live in the Valley once they relocate.

Cal Fire unit chiefs earn a base yearly salary of roughly $96,000.

Source: mercedsunstar.com - Link

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

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Wednesday, February 4, 2009