By Neil Farrell

Cal Fire/San Luis Obispo County Fire Department will pin a badge on its newest members, including officially welcoming a new chief, at a ceremony set for 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 6 in the Board of Supervisors’ Chambers in the County Government Center on Monterey Street in SLO.

Cal Fire’s Scotty Jalbert, was named the new “unit chief” effective April 1, transferring to SLO County from San Mateo/Santa Cruz where he’d been unit chief since January 2013.

Interim County Fire Chief Steve Reeder said, “Chief Jalbert will be an excellent unit chief and leader for Cal Fire/San Luis Obispo. I look forward to being his partner and working closely with him as he makes this transition to his new home.”

Chief Jalbert began his career with the State in 1987 and was a firefighter in San Luis Obispo before getting promoted and stationed in San Mateo/Santa Cruz. He made engineer in 1990, captain in ‘98, battalion chief in ‘06, assistant chief (at Ben Lomond Camp) in ‘10, and deputy chief in 2011.

As the local head of Cal Fire, Jalbert will also be fire chief for Los Osos and Pismo Beach. Those two entities (a CSD and a city respectively) contract with Cal Fire to run their local departments.

Cal Fire (originally the California Department of Forestry or CDF) has been contracted to run the County Fire Department since 1930 and also has a contract to provide extra crew and equipment to Cayucos during non-fire season, under a so-called Amador Agreement.

At the April 6 ceremony, Dist. 5 Supervisor Debbie Arnold will also swear in a newly appointed Battalion Chief, Fire Captains, and Fire Apparatus Engineers. Employees with 25 years of State service will also be recognized. The public is invited to attend and refreshments will follow.

Some 180, full-time State employees operate the local department, supplemented by some 100 seasonal firefighters, 300 County paid-call and reserve firefighters, and 120 inmate fire fighters.