Santa Barbara County has selected a new Fire Chief. Mark Hartwig takes over the post next month. Since 2011, he’s led the San Bernardino County Fire District. It’s a huge agency with 70 fire stations, and more than a thousand employees.
Hartwig has been a firefighter for more than 25 years, based in the Inland Empire. He’ll face some major challenges, with Santa Barbara County’s history of large brush fires and flooding and debris flows.
The county has 16 fire stations, and nearly 250 employees. Hartwig will start his new post in mid-February.
He fills the opening created by the retirement of Eric Peterson last fall. Retired Fire Chief Mike Dyer came out of retirement to serve as interim chief until a search could find a permentent successor.
