When I was appointed Chief of CDF/Butte County Fire and the cities of Biggs and Gridley in June of 2003, I knew that leading the largest fire department north of Sacramento would be challenging. What was surprising to me is how easy the job is, easy because I have some of the brightest, most dedicated men and women in the North state working with me.

The CDF/Butte County Fire family has in it some of the finest men and women working in the fire service today – career and volunteer firefighters who have gone on to win “Firefighter of the Year” awards and “Governor’s Medal of Valor” recognitions. Outstanding as these achievements may be, they are not what the fire service is about.  These firefighters perform quiet acts of heroism every day, but it’s the one-on-one contacts we have with the public we serve that we hope distinguish us.

Statistics show that the average person will activate the 9-1-1 system only once in their lifetime. So, how will the public’s perception of us be formed? By a child’s description to their parents of a firefighter’s visit to the classroom, the motorist we politely let in the line of traffic while out on routine business, the grocery clerk who sees us take the cart all the way back across the parking lot to the rack where it belongs, the stranded motorist we stop to assist, the friendly and professional service given to the person who comes in to the fire station for a burn permit, or to the business owner or property owner we perform an inspection for.  We know that these are the contacts that have the power to shape perception. The “glory” calls are easy – our training has programmed us to fight fire and save lives.

Because of our profession, we will receive respect from much of the public as a matter of course. However, we will continue to try and earn that respect daily as we go about the business of protecting the citizens of Butte County and the State of California.

Thank you for taking the time to visit our web site and learn more about your fire department. I hope you find it useful as well as educational. If you have feedback, questions/comments for myself or any of my staff, feel free to either contact us via the email us address, write to us at 176 Nelson Ave., Oroville CA, 95965, or call us at (530) 538-7111.