New Fire Chief Named for Livermore, Pleasanton

News release from City of Pleasanton:

LIVERMORE, CA — Following a robust recruitment process, the cities of Pleasanton and Livermore announce the appointment of Joe Testa as Chief to the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department (LFPD) effective April 4, 2022.

Following the retirement of Chief Jeff Peters, Testa served from April through September 2021 in one of two six-month rotations as interim fire chief. Chief Testa began his 27-year fire service career as an on-call firefighter and then firefighter/paramedic prior to joining LPFD in 1996. Starting as a firefighter in Pleasanton before the consolidation of the Pleasanton and Livermore fire services, Testa moved up the ranks to engineer, fire captain, and battalion chief, and has served as LPFD deputy fire chief since 2015. Testa brings to the role his expertise in organization management, staff training and leadership, conflict resolution, and commitment to community outreach.

“Chief Testa has a proven track record working with our two cities. He is a talented leader who is invested in our communities and whose commitment to excellence is a great asset to the department,” said Livermore City Manager Marc Roberts.

“Chief Testa is uniquely suited to combine his deep understanding of LPFD with his exceptional expertise in fire command and operations to advance the fire department in serving its two partner cities,” said Pleasanton interim City Manager Brian Dolan.

Testa holds a Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies from California State University, Long Beach and a Master of Arts in Leadership from Saint Mary’s College of California. Among his training, Testa is a certified Chief Officer, paramedic, and strike team leader. Testa is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, an Incident Commander for the East Bay Incident Management Team and has served as president of the Alameda County Fire Chiefs Association Operations and Communications sections.

Follow LPFD on Twitter @lpfdfirefighter, Facebook @Livermorepleasantonfd, and Instagram @livermorepleasantonfire.

This press release was produced by the City of Pleasanton. The views expressed here are the author's own.