March will be Montecito Fire Protection District Fire Chief David Neels’ last month with the district, as he plans to retire after 36 years of public safety service.

Neels’ apparent successor, Lompoc City Fire Department Chief Brian Fallon, has been given a conditional offer of employment.

Fallon is set to start April 1 “pending successful completion of the pre-employment process,” Montecito Fire Department spokesperson Christina Atchison said.

Neels joined the Santa Barbara County Fire Department in 1998, after completing paramedic school and serving on an ambulance as a paramedic. 

His firefighter career began at the San Luis Obispo County Fire Department in 1989. While getting his bachelor’s degree, he also worked seasonally for CAL FIRE San Luis Obispo.

Neels worked with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department for 21 years before joining the Montecito Fire Protection District as a battalion chief in 2019. He took over as division chief of operations in 2021, then as fire chief in 2023. 

Atchison credited Neels as being “instrumental” in the launch of the Santa Barbara County Firefighters Benevolent Foundation, which provides financial aid for firefighters and the families of firefighters who are injured in the line of duty. 

The foundation also funds scholarships for deceased firefighters’ children and supports firefighters’ well-being. 

Neels created and launched the Community Wildfire Protection Plan for the Mission Canyon community in unincorporated southern Santa Barbara County — the county’s first.

He also served as incident commander on the All-Hazard Incident Management Team for Santa Barbara County and as president of the Fire Chiefs Association of Santa Barbara County.

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday thanked Neels for his years of service. Surrounded by members of his department, Neels received a resolution presented by First District Supervisor Roy Lee, whose district covers Montecito.

“To think back in 1998, I started (the) graduation of our Santa Barbara County Fire Academy in this room, and I was honored to give our class speech that day. A lot of stuff has changed from that point in time,” Neels said. 

He thanked the board and Lee for recognizing him and said he has had a “phenomenal career serving the county as a firefighter and through the ranks.” 

Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann, who is on the board of the Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council, also praised Neels’ Community Wildfire Protection Plan. 

“I look forward to seeing your retirement and (Neels) out and about in the world,” Lee said. 

With retirement, Neels plans to spend more time with his wife and three children.

Neels’ successor, Fallon, comes to Montecito from the Lompoc City Fire Department, where he has served as chief since January 2023. 

He has more than 20 years of emergency response experience, with some time at the City of Victorville’s Fire Department in San Bernardino County between 2021 and 2022. Before that, he spent 16 years at the Rancho Cucamonga Fire Department, also in San Bernardino County.

Fallon is a Californian native who has a bachelor’s degree in fire science administration from Waldorf University. His career began with American Medical Response as a paramedic in 2000. 

“Chief Neels and Fallon are working together to support a smooth transition,” Atchison said.