Fire Chiefs

Home / Get Involved / Departments / Fire Chiefs

The League of California CitiesFire Chiefs Department works to improve municipal fire service by protecting local control, advancing educational opportunities, and framing issues impacting cities with a fire chief’s perspective. Members of this department include fire chiefs of municipal fire departments, or agencies, authorities, or districts that serve cities, and all fire chief officers who are interested in advancing their leadership skill set and developing a professional network are invited to participate.

Subscribe to the Fire Chiefs Listserv to receive the latest updates and information.

Department Officers

The Fire Chiefs Department is made up of municipal fire service leadership who represent departments that provide direct fire service to cities: five executive leaders, eight policy committee members, and additional "at-large" members who contribute to conference planning, research, and representing Cal Cities on various state and local advisory committees.

Each year, the Fire Chiefs Department elects officers to oversee the work of the department and represent the department on the Cal Cities board of directors and other Cal Cities policy committees. Fire Chiefs who are interested in pursuing a leadership role with Cal Cities should contact Meghan McKelvey.

2023-2024 Department Officers

President - Adam Loeser, Fire Chief, Fullerton
First Vice President - Chris Nigg, Fire Chief, La Verne
Second Vice President -
Director - Dan Stefano, Fire Chief, Costa Mesa
Past President - Alexander Hamilton, Fire Chief, Oxnard

*Terms are for one year, ending in September, except the director who serves a two-year term.

Policy Committee Representatives

Appointed by the department president, each department has at least one representative on each of Cal Cities' standing seven policy committees that can provide technical information to the committee as a whole to ensure that the department has a voice in the decision-making process, and make recommendations to the board of directors on legislative and policy issues.

Community Services – James Boito, Fire Chief, Albany
Environmental Quality – Jarrod Vanlandingham, Fire Chief, Redding
Governance, Transparency, and Labor Relations – Jeremy Ray, Deputy Fire Chief, Santa Clara
Housing, Community, and Economic Development – Jon Fugitt, Deputy Chief- Administration/Fire Marshal, Fullerton
Public Safety – Mike Calderwood, Fire Chief, Carlsbad
Revenue and Taxation – Brian McDonough, Battalion Chief, Newport Beach
Transportation, Communications, and Public Works – Joseph Bernal, Fire Chief, El Centro

For more information about the appointment process, please contact Meg Desmond.

Useful Links

Fire chiefs provide a link between city government and fire service organizations including:

Regulatory working groups, task forces, and committees

Cal Cities holds a number of appointments to various state and regional regulatory bodies. If you are interested in serving on behalf of Cal Cities, please contact Jolena Voorhis.

Statewide Training and Education Advisory Committee (STEAC)