Staff

Until his retirement, Chief Gary was the Fire Chief of the Livermore–Pleasanton Fire Department. Now in his 47th year in the Fire Service, Chief Gary began as a volunteer and worked his way up through the ranks, including his service as a Paramedic for five years.

Chief Gary started his career with the City of Poway in San Diego County, attaining the rank of Battalion Chief / Fire Marshal. He subsequently served as the Administrative Battalion Chief for the Carlsbad Fire Department in San Diego County. He was appointed Fire Chief for the City of Livermore, California, in January 1994, and two years later, he successfully facilitated the peer-to-peer merger of the Livermore and Pleasanton Fire Departments into one seamless 10-company department, from which he retired as Chief. This successful consolidation was awarded the esteemed Helen Putnam Award for Excellence by the California League of Cities in 1999.

Chief  Gary has both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Public Administration from San Diego State University. He holds an associate degree in fire science from Miramar Community College in San Diego and a certificate in fire protection administration from San Diego State, and he has attended hundreds of hours of seminar course work in fire protection.

Chief  Gary has served in elected professional positions, including: President of the California League of Cities, Fire Chiefs Department and Chairperson of the San Diego County Paramedic Agencies. He has been involved in progressive responsibility for creating or implementing fire protection policy on the local, state, and national levels. He has served as a board member representing cities on the California Office of Emergency Services-FIRESCOPE Board and served two terms as the fire chief representative on the California League of Cities Board of Directors. Chief Gary served on the Livermore School District Board and served as an elected official on the City of Livermore City Council.