April 19 - Rancho Cucamonga Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Mark Hartwig is returning to the San Bernardino County Fire Department to serve as County Fire Chief effective May 2, and will team up with Dan Odom, who has served as interim chief, to lead the department into the future.

Odom, a division chief who had made clear his desire to return to the field, will become Deputy Chief and oversee operations.

Hartwig has been with the Rancho Cucamonga Fire Protection District since 2005. Prior to that, he served with County Fire, starting as an extra-help firefighter in 1992 and working his way to the rank of Captain, serving as the department’s Emergency Medical Services supervisor and training officer.

"I look forward to the chance to provide leadership to a well-respected County Fire Department team that will move forward and thrive in times of unprecedented economic challenge," Hartwig said. "I put a high value in ‘team’ through motivation and taking advantage of the enthusiasm and energy of younger members of the department while employing the wisdom and leadership of our veteran workforce."

Hartwig and Odom worked closely together when Hartwig served with County Fire, and they were also active together in the San Bernardino County Professional Firefighters Association Local 935.

"Having Mark and Dan at the helm of County Fire is good news for the people of San Bernardino County and good news for the men and women of the department," said Local 935 President Bret Henry. "Both are skilled and dedicated firefighting professionals who will lead a department trained and equipped to protect our residents, and both are closely in tune with the needs of the brave people who have chosen a career in public safety."

During his career, Hartwig has developed an expertise in emergency medical services and most recently has been working closely with the California Fire Chiefs Association to help develop a response to the state’s proposed regulations diluting local control of emergency medical services. He serves as president of the California Fire Chiefs Association Emergency Medical Services Section and is an advisory board member for both the Loma Linda University Emergency Medical Care Program and the Victor Valley Community College Paramedic Academy.

A resident of Rancho Cucamonga, Hartwig also serves the community as a board member of the Fontana Area Boys and Girls Clubs of America and as a school site council member in the Etiwanda School District.

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.

In 1984 Odom started his full-time career with the San Bernardino County Fire Department as a Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician II. 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.

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.

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.