2/23/12
ARROYO GRANDE - The Five Cities Fire Authority is getting a new Chief. Chief Joel Aranaz will officially be sworn into office Thursday morning.
Chief Aranaz has been on the Central Coast for about two weeks now and he is already impressed. He says he see's a very engaged group of people working for the department, dedicated to their community.
Chief Aranaz was born and raised in Fresno and that's where he began his firefighting career. Aranaz started his career with the Fresno Fire Department in 1977.
He started off as a firefighter and worked his way through the ranks and after thirty five years of service he retired as the city's Fire Chief.
Where he sees great things here on the coast, there are also areas that can improve, like the dispatch center and budget. But they are still a young agency and he feels they will work out the kinks and everything will gradually get better.
Consolidation is becoming more common across the state. Chief Aranaz worked through a consolidation in Fresno and he knows how useful it can be. "When that citizen picks up the phone and dials 911, they're not looking for Five Cities Fire or Grover Beach Fire or Arroyo Grande or Cal Fire. They're looking for fire service on their door step. I'm sure when the residents pick up that phone and they have an emergency, by the time they hang that phone up they want to hear sirens in the background," says Chief Joel Aranaz.
He will replace Chief Mike Hubert. Hubert retired at the end of last year after serving for nearly five years.
