The Lompoc Fire Department’s new chief will arrive in January, marking the agency’s second new leader in 18 months.
Brian Fallon, who was hired in June to be chief of the Victorville Fire Department, will bring more than 20 years of firefighting and emergency response experience to his new job at the Lompoc Fire Department. He is scheduled to start his Lompoc job Jan. 9, the city announced Friday, taking the reins from interim Lompoc Fire Chief Scott Nunez.
“After reviewing numerous candidates and having several panel reviews, Brian Fallon really stood out,” Lompoc City Manager Dean Albro said. “He brings a tremendous level of professional experience and has the leadership qualities that we were hoping to find.
“We are looking forward to working with him and feel he is the right person for the chief position.”
A California native, Fallon earned his bachelor’s degree in fire science administration from Waldorf University. He earned his paramedic certification from Mount San Antonio College, where he also served as a fire technology instructor for seven years.
Fallon began his career as a paramedic in 2000 with American Medical Response and continues to be a certified paramedic.
“I am extremely honored and humbled to lead an amazing group of men and women with the Lompoc Fire Department. I am excited to see what the future holds for our fire department and the city of Lompoc,” Fallon said.
He joined the Victorville Fire Department in San Bernardino County in September 2021, and previously served 16 years with Rancho Cucamonga Fire, where he rose through the ranks.
When he was named chief of the Victorville department in June, he became the third leader since 2020, according to the Victorville Daily Press.
A year earlier, Victorville re-established its fire department after contracting fire services for 10 years from the San Bernardino County Fire Department.
A Victorville spokeswoman told the Victorville Daily Press that the Central Coast is “a location where he and his family have always hoped to locate.”
Nunez served as interim chief since July, following the retirement of Chief Alicia Welch, who began as Lompoc’s first female fire chief in August 2021.
Welch announced her retirement in June after being arrested following an alleged domestic violence incident. However, the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office said it would not file criminal charges. That typically happens when prosecuting attorneys determine insufficient evidence exists to prove a criminal case.
Welch was hired after a lengthy search to replace Chief Gerald Kuras, who quietly retired in August 2020. Battalion Chief Brian Federmann served as interim chief until Welch’s hiring.
Federmann now works for the Santa Barbara City Fire Department as operations division chief.
While the Lompoc chief’s job has been filled, the top job for the Santa Maria Fire Department became vacant when Todd Tuggle left after 18 months as chief to lead the San Luis Obispo County Fire Department.