Santa Maria names new fire chief
SANTA MARIA, Calif. -- The City of Santa Maria has named Todd Tuggle as the City’s new Fire Chief.
"It's exciting," said Tuggle. "It really is. It's an immense amount of responsibility. Great department. Great location. Very bright future ahead of us. A lot of young folks eager to move up, eager to grow the department and eager to grow what we're capable doing. Lot of senior folks as well that have a wealth of experience to bring to the table."
Tuggle has been with the Santa Maria Fire Department since February 3, 2020.
He first served as Deputy Fire Chief and was later named Interim Fire Chief effective December 19, 2020.
In a City press release, it said City Manager Jason Stillwell named Tuggle to the position effective May 8.
"I have a lot of energy," said Tuggle. "I'm glad to be here. I have quite a few years left in my career and I've been given the opportunity to lead a group of very talented and very intelligent and very energized folks that are ready to some great things."
Tuggle was hired just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic started last spring and has been instrumental in helping the department work through the past 14 months.
"He got thrown right into things with Covid," said Battalion Chief Tony Clayburg. "Working with City Hall, working with County Public Health, working with all the other first responders in the city and the area and navigating us through that, that was a huge endeavor, and I think it was well done. He definitely kept it organized and I think we're all better for it."
He added that one of the challenges facing the department is how it will emerge out of the pandemic.
"There's still a lot that remains to be seen on that front with regards to how the pandemic is going to impact the overall finances," said Tuggle. "The budget is precarious just because nobody is really quite sure what the ultimate impacts of the pandemic are looking like, so things are looking good, but there's still some questions out there."
Still, he emphasized the fire department is in good overall shape, especially since it was able to hire 14 new firefighters early last year, as well as add a new engine at the city's main fire headquarters Station One.
Before working in Santa Maria, Tuggle served 17 years with the City of Fresno Fire Department, where he rose to the position of Battalion Chief.
"Having some experience outside, I've been able to blend that in with a wealth of experience that we have here in the city that they have developed and our folks have developed over the years, and so as we look forward and we look towards our growth as a city, I believe we can bring all that experience together," said Tuggle.
Tuggle graduated from Cal Poly in 1996, and earned his Master of Arts in Homeland Security from the Naval Postgraduate School in 2016.
"This is an incredible opportunity," said Tuggle. "My family moved here from the Central Valley. Both my wife and I are Cal Poly alums, so it feels a lot like coming home and this community has been incredibly receptive to us, even through Covid we have been accepted with open arms and it has been incredible for us. We are very thankful to be here and we're looking forward to a long career here in Santa Maria and the Central Coast."
His official badge pinning ceremony is scheduled to take place at the City Council meeting scheduled for May 18, 2021.
