The Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District’s new fire chief, Dan Stefano, was sworn in this week at a ceremony filled with his family members, close friends, prominent city and county officials, and other emergency personnel.
Stefano — who has more than 30 years of fire service experience — started with the district earlier this month after Fire Chief Robert Kovach retired.
Fire Captain Dave Baker kicked off the Monday ceremony at the district’s Walnut Avenue station by praising Stefano and welcoming him to the community.
“Chief Stefano has a commitment to leadership, service and responsibility,” Baker said. “The badge being pinned represents trust — trust from his agency, trust from this community, and trust from every firefighter who looks to the chief for direction and support.”
Stefano comes to the area from Orange County, where he served as the fire chief for the city of Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Department.
He spent 12 years with Costa Mesa as the city’s fire chief, and before that, 18 years with the Laguna Beach Fire Department as a reserve firefighter, fire division chief, training and EMS chief, and fire marshal.
Stefano is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer program.
He has a bachelor of arts degree and a master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration from California State University, Long Beach, and a master’s degree from the Executive Leadership program at the University of Southern California.
Also an Orange Coast College alumnus, he will be inducted into the college’s Alumni Hall of Fame later this year.
Stefano served as the president of the California Fire Chiefs Association and on the board of directors of the League of California Cities. He was also inducted into the inaugural class of the California Fire Chiefs Hall of Fame in 2023.
Though he is new to calling the Santa Barbara area his home, his wife, Michelle, an elementary school teacher, grew up on Santa Barbara’s South Coast. They’ve spent the past 25 years visiting together.
They have three daughters — Sofia, Siena and Sicily — who are in their late teens and early 20s.
The district presented Michelle, Sofia, Siena and Sicily with orchids at Stefano’s swearing-in ceremony.
“Thank you for sharing your husband with us,” Baker said to Michelle.
Stefano told the crowd he is grateful for the opportunity. He said it is an honor to be “standing here right now.”
“I thank the board for having the trust in me to step into this role. You will certainly not regret this. This is something you will certainly be able to stand very proud on,” he said.
Stefano praised the attitude and professionalism that he has seen in the local emergency-response community since starting earlier this month.
“I cannot wait for us to continue to work through a lot of things that are already in place,” Stefano said. “The most important facet when you talk about any organization is about the people. I can tell you right now, the people we have are absolutely phenomenal. I’m blessed.”
He said he grew up in a very tight-knit family. He thanked his older brother, Orange City Fire Department Deputy Chief of Operations Robert Stefano, for inspiring him, calling him a “catalyst of why I got into the fire service.”
He also thanked the many family members and close friends who came out to support him.
“I want to say thank you to my family, because I wouldn’t be able to do the things I’m doing without my beautiful wife, Michelle, (and) Sofia, Siena, and Sicily,” he said.
