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Ventura names longtime firefighter Chris McDonald as new fire chief, cites staffing, wellness and Station 7 as top priorities
Summary
Fire Chief Chris McDonald, a Ventura firefighter since 2002, told a City of Ventura podcast he will focus on staffing and wellness, finish a new Station 7 to improve harbor-area response and pursue prevention efforts to help reduce insurance costs.
Fire Chief Chris McDonald, a Ventura firefighter since 2002, said he will prioritize staffing, firefighter wellness and station capacity as he begins leading the Ventura City Fire Department.
McDonald, introduced on the Ventura Voices podcast by City Manager Bill Aub, described a career that began as a volunteer in 1995 and included service as a paramedic, fire engineer, captain and battalion chief before becoming assistant fire chief and now fire chief. "I'm the only department in the county that is all paramedic," he said, explaining the department hires only paramedics rather than EMTs.
That all-paramedic model, McDonald said, shapes recruitment and workload: the department runs roughly 18,500 calls a year, and about 80% of its incidents are medical or rescue calls. He credited recently introduced paramedic squads — two-person units on light chassis…
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