Palo Alto Fire Chief Earns State's Top Achievement

PALO ALTO - Palo Alto Fire Chief Eric Nickel was honored with the state's top fire achievement award on Monday when he became the 31st Certified Fire Chief in California, according to an announcement on the City of Palo Alto website.

In the posting, Nickel is seen receiving the award at the City Council meeting this week by Chief Tonya Hoover, State Fire Marshal for CAL FIRE.

Chief Nickel oversees seven fire stations in Palo Alto. According to his department website, Nickel has a department of 121 personnel (line, prevention and staff).

Palo Alto firefighters provide EMS support for both the City of Palo Alto and Stanford University, including transport ambulance services.

-information provided from the City of Palo Alto website:

Palo Alto Fire Chief Earns State’s Top Achievement Award

Palo Alto Fire Chief Eric Nickel received a distinguished career honor on Monday, March 21 as he became the 31st Certified Fire Chief in California.

The Certified Fire Chief is the final level in the Fire Officer track. Nickel was presented the award at the City Council Meeting by Chief Tonya Hoover, State Fire Marshal CAL FIRE.

Candidates must submit an application to the Office of the State Fire Marshal and pass a rigorous set of performance evaluations conducted by a Peer Assessment Committee.

Among the qualifications to merit the award, candidates must be college graduates and have:

• Leadership & Chief officer experience

• Technical knowledge

• Professional organization affiliations

• Community involvement

• References from other fire chiefs and non-fire service personnel

Nickel was presented with a certificate and a Certified Fire Chief collar brass at the Council meeting.

"I am honored to become the 31st Certified Fire Chief in California after a career spanning nearly three decades. This recognition is one example of the continuous improvement being made by the Palo Alto Fire Department and allows us to better serve the community while demonstrating our core values of education and professionalism," said Chief Nickel.

The certification program was created in 1998 as the capstone for the State's certification and qualification system. There are nearly 1,000 fire departments in the state with fire chiefs eligible to complete the process.

-image via the City of Palo Alto website