Fire Chief Mark Hartwig will retire at end of the year, after 33 years of public service
Santa Barbara County Fire Chief Mark Hartwig has announced his plans to retire at the end of the year, concluding a distinguished career in public safety that began over three decades ago.
Chief Hartwig began his firefighting career in 1992 with the San Bernardino County Fire Department. He went on to serve as a Battalion Chief and Deputy Chief with the Rancho Cucamonga Fire District and was later appointed Fire Chief for San Bernardino County. In 2019, following a comprehensive recruitment process, he was selected to lead the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
“Chief Hartwig has shown exceptional responsiveness to the community,” said Laura Capps, Chair of the Board of Supervisors. “He has led with remarkable effectiveness, earning the trust and admiration of local fire chiefs and community members alike. His departure will be a significant loss to us.”
Throughout his career, Chief Hartwig has been a respected leader at both the local and state levels. He served as President of the California Fire Chiefs Association and was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to the State Commission on Emergency Medical Services.
“I have always seen the taxpayer as an investor in our service,” said Chief Hartwig. “While we don’t return traditional cash dividends, I have worked my entire career to ensure the public receives a high quality return in the form of compassionate, innovative, and cost-effective service.”
During his tenure with Santa Barbara County Fire, Chief Hartwig led efforts to expand paramedic services to all county fire stations, collaborated with regional fire chiefs to establish a countywide emergency dispatch center, and pursued competitive bidding for emergency ambulance services.
In addition, he led the County Fire Department through major incidents, including the Lake Fire in 2024 that burned 38,663 acres and destroyed four structures and the Alisal Fire in 2021 that burned 16,953 acres and destroyed 12 structures. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he helped stand up the regional Incident Management Team to coordinate response efforts among agencies. Under his leadership at the Santa Barbara County Fire Department and Office of Emergency Management, significant progress was made to improving Fire infrastructure, enhancing training and preparedness, and supporting community resilience and safety.
“Chief Hartwig is one of the most visionary public servants with whom I’ve had the pleasure to work. He has dedicated his career to public service with unwavering passion and commitment,” said County Executive Officer Mona Miyasato. “His approach and efforts to enhance safety and health for all residents will have a significant and lasting impact on our community.”
As he steps into retirement, Chief Hartwig looks forward to spending more time with his wife and family. He also plans to continue advocating for innovative approaches to connecting communities with medical care through public safety services and partnerships with healthcare providers.
The County will begin a search in the upcoming months to identify Chief Hartwig’s successor.
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He’ll get his numerous pensions from all the agencies he worked for. He cost the the county big $$$$ in legal fees alone with his flawed ambulance program that tried to create a county monopoly for EMT services by ousting AMR. Goid riddance! Maybe we can find a replacement in the department rather than the idiotic searches. Cheers
This guy will probably pursue a third appointment in some place he feels is desirable for his final retirement. The pension system has to do something to stop this abuse. We can start with the proposition that the recruitment process for the next chief will avoid grabbing another retiree.