Welcome The New Santa Barbara Fire Chief, Mark Hartwig

Santa Barbara county has sworn in a new fire chief. After 27 years of serving the Inland Empire, San Bernardino County Fire Chief Mark Hartwig has recently taken the helm of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

Hartwig has been a respected leader in San Bernardino County heading the fire department for the last eight years. Hartwig became a firefighter in the small town of Wrightwood at a relatively late age where he quickly rose through the ranks and was appointed fire chief in 2011 for one of the largest counties in the country.

With a philosophy of faith, family and hard work, and a passion for emergency medical services chief Hartwig’s work has earned over the years the respect of colleagues, elected officials and the community. Hartwig has been recognized for the department’s successes and he attributes those successes to teamwork.

Chief Hartwig says his goals for San Bernardino County fire was to stabilize its finances and develop leaders, something he says they’ve accomplished.

My two objectives were that and I felt like we had met them, it just seemed like that was a time to look for opportunity and then Santa Barbara County came open.

As chief Hartwig embarks on his new journey in Santa Barbara County he hopes to continue to inspire others to be the best they can be.

I think down deep, we all want to make a difference at the end of the day. Whether it’s at home, whether it’s at work, whether it’s in your neighborhood or at your church, you have a deep desire, I think a god-given desire to make a difference where you are.

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