Salinas fire chief resigns after 8 months

After only eight months on the job, the Salinas fire chief is resigning.

In a copy of his resignation letter obtained by The Salinas Californian, the fire chief wrote had mixed feeling about leaving, but that it was in the best interest of family and career.

Chief Jeff Johnson, who started in June of last year, is leaving for a new job at a larger Virginia fire department. He turned in his resignation letter to the city at the end of last month.

“He believes he has more opportunity for him in terms of his overall career goals were, so more power to him. Thank him for his service here,” said Ray Corpuz, the Salinas city manager.

The city says Johnson was instrumental in re-certifying the paramedics program, reorganizing the way fire resources are deployed and assessing fire service capacity. But it is a months-long process to hire a new fire chief, and it has already begun.

“It’s going to be filled as immediately as I can because we also had a few other vacancies that were created by people moving on from the command staff,” said Corpuz.

“In my 17 years here with the Salinas Fire Department, Chief Johnson was my eighth fire chief,” said Josh Hostetter, the president of the Salinas Firefighters Association.

Hostetter calls the turnover at the department “extreme.”

“We’ve lost four chief officers in the last 16 months,” he said. “That’s over half of our management team, including two fire chiefs, a deputy chief and a battalion chief. I would say that’s highly unusual.”

And Hostetter says without steady leadership, programs and operations suffer. Corpuz has not appointed an interim or acting chief yet. But Hostetter wants the city to look into hiring in-house staff to the top positions.

“I think the real issue that needs to be addressed here is how healthy is the relationship between city management and fire management that we can’t seem to maintain leadership in the fire department,” he said.

But Corpuz says it is just regular turnover.

“I think opportunity happens in the industry. Whether it’s private or public, people move and they look for the best opportunity,” said Corpuz.

KION tried reaching out to Chief Johnson himself, but he is not available until Monday. His last day of work is next Wednesday, Feb. 13. Corpuz says Johnson made about $180,000 a year as fire chief.