The
Fire Chief's of Contra Costa County
By Alan E. Nielsen Sr. Communications Manager, Contra Costa County Fire
[Retired]
Email Alan
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Introduction:
I have been involved with the Fire Service Community for several years in
Contra Costa County, California. I have put together this list of present and
former fire chiefs in the various fire districts or departments of Contra Costa
County. My sources of information are by searching the web and using material I
have found or just first hand information.
Antioch Fire Department
George Stamm
Charles Sweeney 1930 to 1949
John
Gragnelli 1949 to 1971
Ed
Cavalli 1971 to 1975
Antioch Fire Department merged with Pittsburg Fire Department and became
Riverview Fire Protection District on July 1, 1975
Bay Point Fire Protection District
Annexed to Contra Costa County Fire in 1969
Bethel Island Fire Protection District
Floyd Mathers
1950 to 1952
Richard Cunningham 1952 to
Jack Whitener
Dave Wahl
xx/1984 to 11/2002
Merged with East Diablo & Oakley Fire to form East Contra Costa County Fire
Protection District in November of 2002
Brentwood Fire Protection District
Clyde Watson 1928 to
Warren
Wristen
Paul
Hein
Merged with Eastern Fire Protection District on November 1, 1984 to form the
East Diablo Fire Protection District
Briones Fire Protection District
Frank Pereira
1951 to 1960
Henry
Duarte
1960 to 1966
Frank
Nunes
1966 to 10/1971
Annexed to Contra Costa County Fire Protection District on 11//01/1971
Byron Fire Protection District
Stanley Pereria
to 1968
Nick Papadakos 1968 to
1991
Annexed to the East Diablo Fire Protection District in 1991
Central Fire Protection District
Ray "Guy" Spencer
1923 to 1954
Bill
Nottingham 1954 to
Albert
V. Struelli
to 12/28/1964
Merged with Mt Diablo Fire Protection District to become Contra Costa
County Fire Protection District 12/29/1964
Concord Hook & Ladder Company No. 1
A. M. Matheson
to 1924
Allan W. Vargus 1924 to 1929
Concord Fire Department merged with Mt Diablo
Fire District in 1929
Concord Naval Weapons Station Fire Department
Larry Reposa
(1989)
Raymond Gilmore
(1992)
Contra Costa County Fire Protection District
Formed from Merger of Central Fire Protection District and Mt Diablo Fire
Protection District December 29, 1964
Ray Mangini 12/29/1964 to 09/30/1965 Co-Chief
A.V.
"Bud" Streuli
12/29/1964 to 09/30/1965 Co-Chief
A.V.
"Bud" Streuli
10/01/1965
to 03/28/1980
William F. Maxfield
04/01/1980 to 03/30/1993 [Deceased Jan 8, 2017]
Allen
Little 03/28/1993 to 10/24/1994 Acting
Allen
Little 10/25/1994
to 03/31/1998
Scott
Tandy 04/01/1998 to 05/03/1998 Interim Acting
Keith
Richter 05/04/1998
to 08/01/2009
John Ross
08/01/2009 to 06/01/2010 Interim Acting
Daryl
Louder
06/01/2010 to 10/31/2013
Jeff Carman
10/21/2013 to 03/31/2019
Lewis Broschard 04/01/2019
to Present
Crockett-Carquinez Fire Protection District
Gerald C. Littleton Sr [Deceased 2001]
Gerald C.
Littleton Jr to Present
Danville Fire Protection District
Oscar Ollsson
1922 to 1925
H.M
Fitchenmueller
1925 to 1947
Dwayne
Elliot
1947 to 1961
W
Van Limburgh
1961 to 1961
Forest
Wilson
1963 to 1965
Michael Blodgett
1965 to 03/1980
Merged with San Ramon Fire to become San Ramon
Valley Fire Protection District on 03/18/1980
Dougherty Regional Fire Authority
Harold Ritter
1989
East Bay Regional Parks District
Joseph Rubini to 2001
Dennis
Rein 2001 to 2006
Ken Bionski
2006 to Present
East Diablo Fire Protection District
Formed from merger of Eastern Fire Protection District
and Brentwood Fire Protection District in 1984
Ray Morgan
[12 yrs][died
4/28/1986]
Paul
Hein (1989)]to
08/2000
Mark McCullah
08/2000 to 04/2002 [Contra Costa County Fire District Designee]
Became part of the new East Contra Costa County Fire protection District in
November of 2002
East Contra Costa County Fire Protection District
Formed 11/2002 by merger of East Diablo Fire Protection
District, Bethel Island Fire Protection District and Oakley Fire Protection
District
Mark McCullah 06/2002 Transition Team
representing East Diablo Fire Protection District
Bob Pastor 06/2002 Transition Team
representing Oakley Fire Protection District
Dave Wahl 06/2002 Transition Team
representing Bethel Island Fire Protection District
Hugh Henderson 11/2002 to 05/2003 Iterim Fire Chief
Doug Dawson 05/2003 to 06/2006 Resigned
William Weisgerber
07/2006 to 01/2008 Interim Fire Chief
Hugh Henderson 01/2008 to 08/2010 Interim Fire Chief
Hugh Henderson 08/2010 to
03/30/2017 Fire Chief
Brian Hemlick
04/01/2017 to Present Interim Fire Chief
Eastern Fire Protection District
Gerould "Gerry" Gill
Al
Baitx
19xx-1968
Ray
Morgan
1968-1984 [Died 4/28/1986]
Merged with Brentwood Fire Protection District on November 1, 1984 to form
the East Diablo Fire Protection District
El Cerrito Fire Department
Pete Barraza
to 12/1990 Retired
Steve Cutright
1991 to 1999
Went to Emeryville Fire Department
Mark Scott
1999 to 2006
Retired
Lance
Maples
05/2007 to 12/30/2018
Michael Pigoni
12/31/2018 to Present
El Sobrante Fire Protection District
Charles Mattson
1944
to xxxx
Bill
Helm xxxx
to 06/1977
Renamed West County Fire 07/01/1977
Federal Fire Department
Lawrence Bach [2005]
George Day [2008]
Kensington Fire District
Sam L Treese Jr
(1992)
Lafayette Fire Protection District
Louis Starks
1918 to 1936
Ed Morrison 1936
to
Shirley Peaks 1946
to 1959
Ray
Winkle 1959
to 12/1968
Ed
Allen 12/1968 to 12/1968 Acting
Annexed To Contra Costa County Fire Protection District on Jan 1, 1969
Martinez Fire Department
L.C. Wittenmeyer
1860 to xxxx
John
Briones xxxx to 1903
Fred
Kaiser 1903 to 1943
Clarence Viera
1943 to 06/1968 Retired
Annexed to Contra Costa County Fire Protection District July 1, 1968
Moraga Fire Protection District
Donald
Skinner
09/1968 to xx/1986
Edward L.
Lucas xx/1986
to xx/1992 [Died 6/12/2012]
John
Cooper xx/1992 to 03/1993 Acting
Allen
Little 04/1993 to 07/1997 Acting
Merged with Orinda 07/01/1997
Moraga-Orinda Fire Protection District
Formed by merge of Moraga & Orinda Fire Protection
Districts on 07/01/1997
Mel Deardorf
07/1997 to 02/1998 Acting Fire Chief
Jim Johnston 02/1998 to 03/2006
Jim Johnston 04/2006 to 09/2006 Interim Fire Chief
Peter
Nowicki 09/2006 to 01/2009
Peter Nowicki 01/2009 to 10/2009 Interim Fire Chief
Randall Bradley
11/2009 to 07/2013
Went to Modesto Regional Fire Authority
Stephen Healey
07/2013 to 09/2017 Fire Chief
Dave Winnecker 11/2017
to Present Fire Chief
Mountain View Fire Protection District
Rudy Knieriem
1945-to 11/1966 [Died
Dec 1977]
Annexed to Contra Costa County Fire Protection District 12/01/1966
Mount Diablo Fire Protection District
Allan W. Vargas
1929 to 1956 Was chief of Concord City Fire when Mt Diablo FPD
was formed in 1925
Ray
Mangini 1956
to 12/1964
Merged with Central Fire Protection District to become Contra Costa
County Fire Protection District 12/29/1964
Oakley Fire Protection District
Anthony Dal Porto
06/xx/1938 to 06/xx/1942
Frank Dal Porto 06/xx/1942 to
06/xx/1952
Carl
Gott 06/xx/1952
to 06/xx/1974
Joe
Tovar 06/xx/1974
to 06/30/1994
Annexed to Contra Costa County Fire Protection District 07/01/1994
Recreated as Oaklay Fire Protection District 01/01/1999
Bob Pastor
01/01/1999 to 11/xx/2000 [Deceased Nov 15, 2015]
Orinda Fire Protection District
Edward Jensen 1923-xxxx]
Al
Winsor 1960 to 1970
David
Evans 1970 to 1992]
Allen
Little 1993
to 07/1997 Acting
Merged with Moraga Fire Protection District on 07/01/1997
Pinole Fire Department
Chief Lindner
Harry Williams
Joseph Rogers
Leslie Silver
Jack Nightengale
Wallace Martin xxxx to
xxxx
Alex Clark
Mike
Radcliffe
xxxx to
1997 (1986)
Jim Parrot 1997 to 2011
Charles Hanley 2010 to
07/2013
Carlos Rodriguez 07/2013 to 12/2013
[Interim Chief]
Robert Piper 01/2014 to
Present
Pittsburg Fire Department
Charles Sellick
Charles Scudero 1901 to 1936
Horace "Shad" Enea 1960 to 1975
Merged with Antioch to form the Riverview Fire District 07/01/1975
Richmond Fire Department
John Murray
1901 to
Charles
Schwab
14 yrs
Floyd
Cormier
xxxx to 1995
Afford Nero
1996 to 1999
Fire Chief
Joseph Robinson
1999 to 5/2000 Interim Fire
Chief
Joseph
Robinson 5/2000
to 3/2004 Fire Chief
Richard Giaramita 3/2004 to 4/2004
Acting Fire Chief
Michael Banks 4/2004
to 10/2006
Interim Chief
Michael Banks 10/2006 to
12/30/2014 Fire Chief
Adrian Sheppard 12/31/2014
to Present Fire Chief
Riverview Fire Protection District
Fred Golinveaux 07/01/1975 to
07/31/1978 [Died 09/27/2001]
Vince
Aiello 09/01/1978 to 04/17/1979 Acting
Vince
Aiello 04/18/1979 to 03/28/1986
04/01/1986 to 06/17/1986 Acting
Allen
Little 06/18/1986 to 06/30/1994 Became Chief of Contra Costa County upon
annexation
Annexed to Contra Costa County Fire Protection District 07/01/1994
Rodeo-Hercules Fire Protection District
Frank Delmonte
1920-
Sam
Kramer
Tom
Lewis
E.
Gomez
Lloyd
Cooper 1937 to
1965
Arthur
G. Cooper 1965 to 1977 [Died
9/29/1997]
Pedro
Jimenez 1977 to
1997?
Dennis Salmi
Gary
Bowles 06/18/2001 to
Alan Biagi 08/2009 to 12/2010
Charles Hanley 12/2010 to
4/30/2017 [Retired]
Bryan Craig 5/1/2017 to Present
San Pablo Fire Protection District
Manny Mello
San Ramon Fire Protection District
William J. Fereira 1963 to 1978
[Deceased 4/9/2010]
Richard Schuller
1978 to xxxx
Roy
Asmundsen
xxxx to 1980
[Deceased 6/2/2011]
Merged with Danville Fire Protection District to
for San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District on 03/18/1980
San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District
Michael Blodgett
03/1980 to
Mel Deardof
1988 to 03/1996
Bill
Dutcher 1996
to 1999
Richard Probert 1999
to
2002
Craig
Bowen 2002 to 03/28/2008 [Retired]
Richard Price 07/25/2008 to
01/11/2012 [Retired]
Richard Price
01/11/2012 to 12/31/2012 [Retired]
Jack Barton
01/01/2013 to 03/17/2013 [Interim]
Paige Meyer
03/18/2013 to Present
Tassajara Fire Protection District
Warren
L. Reinstein Sr.
1970-1979 [Died 2/28/1979]
Steve
Eppler
1979-1991
Merged with San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District
Valley Community Services District and Dublin-San Ramon Services
District
Phillip Phillips 1960-1985
West County Fire Protection District
Bill Helm 07/01/1977 to
William Maxfield
1992/10/01 to 1993/03/30]
Allen
Little
Revised March 10, 2017