Fire Chief - Vallejo, CA

THE OPPORTUNITY

The City of Vallejo offers an enriching career opportunity for a fire service executive looking to serve as the next Fire Chief. The successful candidate will lead a high functioning fire department in a municipal organization characterized by a strong service commitment and focus on maintaining a safe, resilient community.

Vallejo is in Northern California, 30 miles northeast of San Francisco, 60 miles southwest of Sacramento, and 70 miles north of Silicon Valley. Vallejo is the largest city in Solano County and the tenth most populous city in the San Francisco Bay Area, with approximately 123,000 residents. Vallejo is the home to the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard, the first U.S. Naval base on the Pacific Ocean.

Vallejo is proud to be the most diverse city in the Bay Area and is a prime location for families and businesses to thrive. It is also emerging as a commuter hub, with the busiest ferry terminal in the Bay Area, serving more than 1.2 million riders per year. Vallejo’s central location provides easy access to airports, major highways, and ports.

The Vallejo Fire Department consists of 96 total employees, staffed across Administration, Suppression, Training, and Prevention divisions. The adopted FY 2025–26 budget is $35.9 million. The Fire Chief provides executive leadership and is assisted by a Deputy Fire Chief. The Department averages over 16,000 calls per year and is committed to working with the community to provide public safety and resilience.

The department is comprised of three divisions:
Suppression, Training, and Prevention.

Under general direction from the City Manager, the Fire Chief is responsible for planning, directing, managing, and overseeing the activities and operations of the Fire Department, including communications, fire suppression, hazardous material mitigation, fire and life safety code compliance, emergency medical services, and administrative support services. The Fire Chief coordinates with other city departments and outside agencies to provide the highest level of service to Vallejo residents.

Key responsibilities include:

full management responsibility for all Fire Department services; development and implementation of department goals, objectives, policies, and priorities; establishing appropriate service and staffing levels and allocating resources; selecting, training, motivating and evaluating personnel; participating on boards and commissions; and labor negotiations and monitoring the labor contract throughout the year.

The ideal candidate will be an experienced Fire Chief or Deputy/Assistant Chief, possess progressive mindset toward modernization, significant administrative and budget experience, human resources skills, proven change management experience, passion for serving a diverse community, and essential experience in labor/management.

Any combination of education and experience that provides the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. Typical qualifications include:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in fire science, public administration, or a closely related field is desirable.
• Experience: Seven (7) years of broad and extensive experience in municipal firefighting, including four (4) years in an administrative and supervisory capacity.
• License or certification: Certificate in Fire Science and Fire Prevention with a minimum of 40 semester units, or a valid California Certified Fire Officer Certificate.

The annual salary range for the Fire Chief is $229,838 to $279,369. Placement within the salary range is negotiable and dependent upon qualifications.

In addition, the City offers a comprehensive benefits package including retirement provided by CalPERS with a 3% @50 formula for Tier 1 Classic Employees or 2% @50 for Tier 2 Classic Employees, a 9% employee contribution plus 4.4% employer share equals 13.4% for Tier 1 or a 9% contribution for Tier 2 employees. For employees covered under PEPRA, the retirement formula is 2.7% at 57, with an employee contribution of 13.75%.

The City also offers a voluntary 457 elective benefit, 100% employee paid, and will match up to 1% of employee’s annual pay rate under a 401a with the employee’s elective 457 contribution.

For additional benefit information, interested candidates are encouraged to review the detailed recruitment brochure at

To be considered for this position, interested candidates must submit a cover letter and résumé no later than Monday, March 16, 2026 at

Confidential inquiries are welcomed to:
Bryan Noblett |  | .