March 29 - San Bernardino County Fire Division Chief Dan Odom has been appointed to serve as interim chief effective Thursday. March 31, pending the appointment of a successor to retiring Chief Dan Wurl.

Division Chief Odom has been with the department since 1976, when he started his fire career as a paid-call firefighter for the Wrightwood Fire Protection District while he was still in high school.

"Our department goal remains the same – to provide Premier Fire Service to the citizens and visitors of San Bernardino County," said Division Chief Odom. "Regardless of the challenging economic times, we will continue to strive towards this goal. It's an honor to lead this great department, of which I have proudly been a part of for so long."

In 1984 Division Chief Odom started his full-time career with the San Bernardino County Fire Department as a Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician II. Division Chief Odom promoted to the rank of Captain in 1986 and Battalion Chief in 1998 and has served in the North Desert, South Desert and Valley Divisions.

Division Chief Odom has served on a United States Forest Service Type 2 Management Team for 10 years. In addition to his vast fire experience and Incident Command System (ICS) qualifications, he is a certificated State Fire Training Instructor for numerous ICS, National Fire Academy, and Company Officer courses.

Division Chief Odom and his wife Sheri, who is a professional Arabian horse judge and trainer, have two children. They enjoy outdoor activities, Angels baseball, and spending time with their family and friends.

The San Bernardino County Fire Department provides service to 17,432 of the county’s 20,160 square miles and operates 58 stations. The department’s 1,242 personnel, including 908 suppression personnel, handled 68,066 calls for service in 2010. The department has an annual budget of $145.7 million.