City Manager Derek Johnson is pleased to announce the appointment of Todd Tuggle as the Fire Chief following Chief Keith Aggson’s retirement on December 9, 2022.
Chief Tuggle’s first day as Chief will be December 5, 2022 and his annual base salary will be $218,400. He will manage the Fire Department’s $14 million budget and lead a team of about 60 full-time Fire Department employees serving the San Luis Obispo community.
“Todd’s strong leadership skills will aid in the rollout of the Fire Department’s five-year strategic plan to ensure that the department continues to meet the community’s and the City organization’s needs. Todd’s passion, strong work ethic, and innovation makes him a fantastic addition to the Department Head team,” said City Manager Derek Johnson.
Tuggle comes to the City with 19 years of experience in the fire service industry. Tuggle most recently served the City of Santa Maria for two years as the Deputy Chief and Chief of the Santa Maria Fire Department. Chief Tuggle led the Santa Maria Fire Department through the COVID-19 pandemic and led the development of the department’s first strategic plan.
Before Tuggle and his wife, Jules, moved to the Central Coast in 2020, Chief Tuggle spent 17 years serving the City of Fresno’s Fire department. During his time in Fresno, Chief Tuggle worked his way through the ranks culminating in the Deputy Chief of Training and Special Operations. Chief Tuggle also worked with State Incident Management Teams for over 10 years on various disasters throughout California.
Chief Tuggle earned a master’s degree in Homeland Security from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, and a bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly.
“I am excited to return to the City from which my wife and I received so much. It is a great honor and opportunity to lead such a dynamic group of professionals in a vibrant and growing community. I look forward to continuing the departments focus on skilled, progressive, compassionate service while expanding the department’s connectivity to our citizens and business community,” Tuggle stated.
Chief Tuggle was selected following a national search and rigorous evaluation process. The evaluation process consisted of interviews from regional fire chiefs, community partners, regional City Managers, and current department staff.
The San Luis Obispo City Fire Department is an all-risk service and all hazards organization that protects the lives and property of residents and visitors from the adverse effects of fires, medical emergencies and other dangers caused by man or nature. Four stations staff two three-person Advanced Life Support (ALS) engine companies, a three-person ALS quint, and a four-person ALS tractor drawn tiller truck. Personnel are led by a shift battalion chief who responds from Station One. The department also recently launched a Mobile Crisis Unit team to provide crisis support to community members in need and to help prevent and reduce chronic homelessness. To learn more about Fire Department, visit www.slocity.org/fire.
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