Fire Chief Brian Fennessy announced Friday that he will be retiring from the Orange County Fire Authority.
After nearly eight years of service, the decorated fire chief has decided to call it a career to pursue his next chapter. Fennessy says he has tentatively accepted a director role with the newly created United States Wildland Fire Service, pending the completion of a federal onboarding process.
“Serving alongside you has been the greatest honor of my career. Day in and day out, you have exemplified what it means to be an all‑hazard, mission‑driven organization — protecting lives and property with professionalism, compassion, and relentless commitment. The pride I feel in our team’s operational excellence, innovation, and community partnership is immeasurable. Over the past eight years, we have earned a reputation as a national model within the fire service, and I recognize that being selected as the inaugural leader of the USWFS is a direct reflection of our collective success at the OCFA,” wrote Fennessy in a memo Friday night.
Fennessy began his career in 1978 with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s United States Forest Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management as a hotshot crewmember, moving his way up to crew superintendent.
Fennessy has held the fire chief position with the OCFA since April 2018. He is slated to retire Jan. 2, 2026.
A replacement fire chief wasn’t immediately announced. Fennessy said he would work with the board of directors to support a smooth leadership transition.
Note: A previous version of this article stated that Fennessy’s retirement was effective immediately. He is expected to retire Jan. 2, 2026.
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