Montecito Fire Chief Kevin Taylor today announced his upcoming retirement from the Montecito Fire Department after 35 years of service.

Taylor began his career in the fire service in 1987 and has served as Montecito fire chief since 2019. His last day as fire chief will be March 31.

Succeeding Taylor as the new chief will be David Neels, the current division chief of operations. The Board of Directors selected Neels for the post after Taylor notified them in October of his intention to retire from the fire service in the spring.

“Chief Taylor has dedicated his entire career to serving others,” said Peter Van Duinwyk, Montecito Fire Protection District Board president. “We are so fortunate to have had his exemplary leadership over the last eight years here in Montecito.

“On behalf of the board, I wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement.”

“Chief Taylor has made a lasting impact on Montecito Fire Department and our community,” said Billy Wrenn, president of the Montecito Firefighters Association. “He has led us through complex incidents, including the Jan. 9 debris flow, and navigated significant challenges over the last eight years, all with a steadfast commitment to making the best decisions for the safety of our community members, firefighters and staff.”

Over the course of his career, Taylor has served in every fire department rank. His career began as a seasonal firefighter with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. After two summers working in that position, he felt passionate about becoming a firefighter/paramedic for a municipal fire department.

He became an emergency medical technician and began working for San Luis Ambulance. He went on to attend paramedic school at Stanford University, and completed the basic fire academy at Allan Hancock College.

In 1991 Taylor was hired in his hometown of Paso Robles as a firefighter/paramedic. During his 24 years there, he was promoted to fire captain/paramedic, and served his last 12 years there as a battalion chief.

Taylor was instrumental in professionalizing the Paso Robles Fire Department to meet the needs of the city’s growing suburban community, and served as incident commander for major incidents in Paso Robles, including the 2003 San Simeon earthquake.

While with Paso Robles, Taylor was a member of California Incident Management Team 9, deploying to complex incidents across the state. Locally, he was a founding member of the San Luis Obispo County Type 3 incident management team.

Taylor holds a bachelor’s degree in fire administration and a master’s degree in emergency management.

In February 2015, Taylor joined Montecito Fire Department as division chief of operations. In that role, he played an integral part in launching the Santa Barbara County Type 3 incident management team, and worked diligently to build relationships with local partner agencies.

He led Montecito Fire and the community through the worst disaster in Santa Barbara County history, the Jan. 9 debris flow in 2018, when 23 community members were lost, along with hundreds of homes.

As incident commander for the 1/9 event, he dedicated himself to a holistic and multi-faceted response and recovery of the landscape, the community, and first responders.

On June 24, 2019, the Board of Directors promoted Taylor to fire chief. From the outset of his tenure as chief he has championed a culture of empowerment within the Fire Department by encouraging and supporting personal and professional development for every member of the organization to prepare confident and capable leaders for the future of Montecito Fire.

Taylor has also prioritized the mental, spiritual and physical wellbeing of every member of the Montecito Fire Department family by supporting the expansion of its Peer Support program, and securing world-class benefits to take care of first responders throughout their careers.

“This career has been the honor of my life,” Taylor said. “What makes it even more gratifying is that I am able to step away and leave the organization and community in exceptionally capable hands.

“When the board hired me to be the fire chief, our goals were to enhance the culture of empowerment and ensure executive development by passing along every lesson I have learned throughout the course of my career.

“My hope is that this has laid a strong foundation of resilience, progress and preparedness,” he said.

“In my 35 years, serving the community remains at the heart of why I chose this profession. Your support and gratitude have sustained me through the most difficult moments,” Taylor said.

“None of my professional accomplishments would have been possible without the outstanding people who comprise the Montecito Fire Department, the incredible community we serve, and most of all, my supportive wife and son,” he said.

Taylor and Chief Neels are working together to ensure a smooth transition. Neels’s promotion to fire chief will take effect April 1.