The Palm Springs Fire Department will be welcoming Paul Alvarado as its new fire chief next month, Palm Springs City Manager Scott Stiles said, according to the City of Palm Springs website.
Alvarado brings to the job approximately 30 years of experience, including as assistant fire chief in Long Beach as well as a firefighter for Long Beach, North Las Vegas and the Northrop Aircraft Division. Part of makes Alvarado a good fit for Palm Springs is his experience with Long Beach Airport.
Paul Alvarado
| Paul Alvarado/LinkedIn
“Paul Alvarado is an outstanding leader with an exceptional background in firefighting and executive leadership at one of the most respected fire departments in the nation," Stiles said, according to the Palm Springs website. "In particular, his years of experience managing the firefighting needs at Long Beach Airport will serve us well in Palm Springs as our international airport continues to grow and flourish.”
Alvarado worked as firefighter/paramedic in Long Beach for 27 years before progressing to captain, battalion chief and then assistant fire chief. His executive leadership skills were further strengthened during his position as fire chief for the Port of Long Beach, which involved managing a $29 million budget.
Additional accomplishments in Long Beach include serving as liaison to the Long Beach Airport, handling such concerns as emergency operations, code enforcement and enacting Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) training protocol. In Palm Springs, a community that houses an international airport, the release also took note of his experience reforming aircraft rescue, as well as upgrades to fire training in the Long Beach Fire Department with a large-scale exercise every three years.
Alvarado's comprehensive treatment of firefighting and prevention in Long Beach further encompassed crafting an emergency response plan for the new Long Beach International Gateway Bridge and bringing on-board a small emergency response vehicle to access bike paths.
Before Long Beach, he worked as a firefighter for the North Las Vegas Fire Department from 1994 to 1996 and Northrop Aircraft Division from 1993 to 1994. Fire prevention has been his focus, as Alvarado proved instrumental in spearheading the Fire Prevention Bureau.
Alvarado brings to Palm Springs the benefit of a Bachelor of Science degree in organizational leadership from Azusa Pacific University and an Associate of Science from San Jacinto College. A graduate from the University of Southern California's Sol Price School of Public Safety Leadership Program, he also finished the state of California's chief fire officer training program.
"My wife, Kitty, and I have great affection for the Palm Springs community, and I am incredibly excited to take the helm at the Palm Springs Fire Department and lead this already great team of dedicated firefighters into the next generation,” Alvarado said, according to the Palm Springs website.
He called himself "honored and humbled" to serve as Palm Springs' next fire chief and described his familiarity and affection for a city he considers "one of the most welcoming and inclusive in the nation and committed to public safety."
Alvarado and Kitty, who had worked for NBC Palm Springs as a general assignment reporter, have two grown sons who are following in his footsteps in the emergency response field. Rounding out their family is a Cairn Terrier they call Bette Davis.