By Janene Scully, Noozhawk North County Editor | @JaneneScully
May 12, 2021
| 8:13 p.m.
Eighteen years after giving up an engineering career and getting hired as a firefighter, Todd Tuggle has been chosen to lead the Santa Maria Fire Department.
Todd Tuggle
On Wednesday, City Manager Jason Stilwell announced that he had named Tuggle as fire chief, effective last Saturday.
A badge-pinning ceremony is scheduled during the City Council meeting on Tuesday.
It’s a different career than Tuggle had after graduating from Cal Poly in 1996 with an engineering degree, but he hasn’t looked back.
“I’ve never doubted it for a moment,” he said of the switch. “It’s been the most fulfilling, amazing, challenging (job). It’s never been dull from day one.”