Fire Chiefs Department

 A Message From Eric Nickel, 2018 Fire Chiefs' Department President

Chiefs, we need you – the department’s success is tied to your participation. No one can better advocate for your agency and city than you!
 
The League of California Cities was established in 1899 to expand and protect local control for cities through education and advocacy to enhance the quality of life for all Californians. There are many local control issues facing our fire departments, including the right to determine your service levels. It is the policy of the League to work towards a solution clarifying the definition of local control and provide broad statutory authority for local officials to determine emergency service levels.
 
The League has many resources to assist cities and fire departments. Within the League, there are 10 professional departments that represent all facets of city governance. The League of California Cities Fire Chiefs Department is charged with engaging, influencing, and informing state and local policymakers on matters affecting fire and emergency services and other local issues. To achieve this, the Fire Chiefs Department relies heavily on the expertise, leadership and collaborative support of Fire Chiefs statewide to safeguard and enhance local control for California cities through education and advocacy.
 
The Fire Chiefs Department conducts conference calls on the second Thursday of each month at 0800 hours, and uses a listserv to push out information and to identify the needs of the members. We hope you can join us!
 
As the name implies, the focus of the League is on California cities. However, this does not mean you need to be employed by a city to become a member. There are very few fire districts and county fire departments in the State of California that do not serve incorporated cities who are League members.
 
It is my honor to be your President for the League of California Cities Fire Chiefs Department.  The department and the fire service are embarking on a very exciting year that will be filled with interesting challenges requiring creative and collaborative solutions.  As your president, I am committed to working side-by-side with our League members, the California Fire Chiefs Association, and other mutual partners as we better serve our diverse communities and the citizens of California’s cities.

Respectfully,

Eric Nickel, Fire Chief, City of Palo Alto