County of Santa Barbara names interim fire chief

Former Santa Barbara County Fire Chief Michael Dyer has been named by the county as Interim County Fire Chief following the retirement of current Fire Chief Eric Peterson.

Chief Peterson announced his retirement in August 2018, after 31 years of service to the county.”

Chief Dyer will provide stability, knowledge and leadership to an exceptional department over the next few months as we recruit for the next Fire Chief,” said County Executive Officer Mona Miyasato. “Chief Peterson is still here through October, but we wanted to assure our community that the Fire Department continues to be in good hands through this transition.”

The recruitment will be a national search expected to conclude in the early part of next year.

Dyer served as Santa Barbara County Fire Chief for almost six years until his retirement in 2015. Prior to his retirement, Dyer served more than 37 years in public safety and was previously the Chief Deputy in the Los Angeles County Fire Department before joining the Santa Barbara County Fire Department in 2009.

Dyer is presently working for the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management as a Technical Specialist managing the Homeland Security Grant Program and Project Manager for the Hazard Mitigation Program and Valley Peak Communications Tower.

Dyer will serve as Santa Barbara County Fire Department Interim Fire Chief beginning Nov 5, 2018.