Santa Maria police stepping up enforcement of illegal fireworks
SANTA MARIA, Calif. The Santa Maria Police Department is ramping up its efforts to curb the use of illegal fireworks that are lighting up the city s sky nightly. We know they re going off, said Lt. Mark Strecker, Santa Maria Police Department. We can hear them and see them from the police department.
Strecker said the numbers of calls coming each day is impacting the city s dispatch system. We ve had a significant number of increase in the number of calls coming into dispatch for firework complains, said Strecker. The people that it is affecting and mostly the people who are calling, we get a lot of elderly that call, people with pets, our veterans and we are very sensitive to that and we have to be responsive to that.
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.”
Santa Maria names new fire chief
SANTA MARIA, Calif. The City of Santa Maria has named Todd Tuggle as the City’s new Fire Chief.
Tuggle has been with the Santa Maria Fire Department since February 3, 2020.
He first served as Deputy Fire Chief and was later named Interim Fire Chief effective December 19, 2020.
In a City press release, it said City Manager Jason Stillwell named Tuggle to the position effective May 8.
His official badge pinning ceremony is scheduled to take place at the City Council meeting scheduled for May 18, 2021.
Before working in Santa Maria, Tuggle served 17 years with the City of Fresno Fire Department, where he rose to the position of Battalion Chief.
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Todd Tuggle appointed as fire chief following Champion retirement
Todd Tuggle has been appointed to serve as Santa Maria s interim fire chief, filling the role Leonard Champion will leave upon his retirement Thursday.
City Manager Jason Stilwell made the appointment that will take effect Saturday, according to city spokesman Mark van de Kamp.Â
Joining the Santa Maria Fire Department in February as the city s first deputy fire chief in 10 years, Tuggle previously served 17 years in the Fresno Fire Department, holding the title of battalion chief at the end of his tenure.
The interim chief will oversee the department s 75 personnel and five community fire stations, as well as a sixth station at the Santa Maria Public Airport, van de Kamp said. The department responds to approximately 10,000 calls for service annually.Â