New Unit Chief Appointed for CAL FIRE San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

New Unit Chief Appointed for CAL FIRE San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit

New Unit Chief Appointed for CAL FIRE

CAL FIRE NEWS RELEASE

Chief Ian Larkin

Felton – CAL FIRE Director Ken Pimlot has appointed Chief Ian Larkin as the CAL FIRE San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit Chief. Chief Larkin replaces Chief Scotty Jalbert who recently transferred to the CAL FIRE San Luis Obispo Unit.

Chief Larkin most recently served as the Unit’s Deputy Chief of Operations and has over 28 years of fire service experience in CAL FIRE operations, training, emergency command centers, administration and state incident command teams.

He now leads the Unit’s 260 paid staff across 17 fire stations and 110 volunteers across 8 additional fire stations that serve and protect the citizens of San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties.

As the Unit Chief of the San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit, Chief Larkin also serves as Fire Chief for CAL FIRE’s cooperative system with San Mateo County, Santa Cruz County, Pajaro Dunes and the Fire Protection Districts of Pajaro Valley and Coastside.

“Ian Larkin is a 5th generation Santa Cruz resident. We are lucky to have such a talented, community-invested individual to lead our County Fire Department”, said Nancy Gordon, Santa Cruz County Director of General Services.

CONTACT: Angela Bernheisel (831) 212-7805 RELEASE DATE: May 17, 2016

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit

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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.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Tuesday, May 17, 2016