Eric Peterson Sworn in as New Santa Barbara County Fire Chief

Eric Peterson has climbed the ladder -literally- to become the new fire chief in Santa Barbara County. He has 28 years of experience and most recently he served as the deputy fire chief.

Peterson was sworn in this morning before the Board of Supervisors, backed by his wife, two children and many members of the department.

As he takes over the department with 16 stations and 258 positions, Peterson tells NewsChannel 3 he will be stressing education, prevention and personal responsibility to the residents of the county.

He believes the best way to deal with the risk of a large fire is by working with the public in advance to do reduce the chances of a devastating event.

Peterson’s dad Rich also held the same position and was the fire chief in the early 1990’s.