San Juan County announces the selection of David Vega as the next fire chief of San Juan County Fire and Rescue (SJCFR).
“I’m extremely humbled by this opportunity to lead such a unique, diverse and dedicated group of professional first responders,” said Vega.
Vega currently serves as SJCFR deputy chief of Operations under Fire Chief John Mohler. Mohler has retired effective Jan. 31.
“David brings a wealth of fire service experience and a proven track record of success. The citizens of San Juan County will benefit from his leadership and passion to serve,” said San Juan County Manager Mike Stark.
Vega was one of six applicants from across the country who applied in January. A diverse panel of five professionals from across different disciplines selected Vega from three interviewed applicants.
Vega has 27 years of experience in the fire service, serving as a volunteer, paid firefighter, and on various incident management teams on wildfires throughout the country. Vega has served with San Juan County since 2011. Before coming to San Juan County, Vega worked for the U.S. Forest Service and the Los Pinos Fire Protection District. Vega started his fire service career as a volunteer firefighter with the Pagosa Fire Protection District in 1996.
San Juan County Fire and Rescue is comprised of 11 districts serving more than 3,000 square miles, including the city of Bloomfield. The dedicated volunteers respond to all types of emergencies and provide mutual aid to surrounding agencies.
David Vega’s father, Roy Vega, added that, “He actually got his start going to fire training with me when he was 6 years old.
San Juan County, N.M., is larger in area than the state of Connecticut, but in the article they subtract out tribal and incorporated areas with their own fire departments and use over 3,000 sq. mi. for his service area, still one of the largest fire jurisdictions in the nation.”
