Menlo Park Fire Chief Appears In PG&E Commercial

MENLO PARK, CA -- Menlo Park's fire chief recently appeared in a Pacific Gas and Electric Company commercial, raising questions whether he should be promoting the utility business especially after the October wildfires.

KPIX5 reported residents criticized Chief Harold Schappelhouman for his role in the one-minute commercial.

In the commercial, Schappelhouman speaks well of the fire department's relationship with PG&E, stating they've created a "world-class training facility."

"If we have an incident, it's almost an automatic call for PG&E," Schappelhouman said. "We rely on them and they rely on us. I've seen PG&E do some pretty amazing things."

Schappelhouman describes the utility's workers as "highly competent, very well-trained and always responsive."

But, the commercial isn't sitting well for some residents especially after a recent investigation revealed power lines caused some of the fires in October.

Deborah Sanderson told KPIX5 the commercial gave "credibility to people who don’t deserve it."

“I must say I am disappointed in him, because I see it more as a PG&E PR plug," Sanderson told KPIX5.

Both Schappelhouman and the company defended the advertisement to KPIX5.

The fire chief, who was promoted to the top role in 2006, said he wasn't paid to do the commercial. PG&E told the news station it's important to let customers know how firefighters and utility employees work together.

--Photo via YouTube screenshot