Brennan Blue to replace Chief Joe Molina, who is retiring after 28 years in fire service
VANCOUVER — After a nationwide search, the city of Vancouver has hired Brennan Blue to serve as the city’s new fire chief starting Sept. 24. He is replacing Vancouver Fire Chief Joe Molina, who is retiring after 28 years in the fire service, including 12 years with the Vancouver Fire Department.
Chief Blue brings more than 32 years of experience and leadership in the fire profession, including 13 years as a chief officer. He served in Southern California’s Riverside and San Diego counties for more than 25 years. Most recently, he was the fire chief for CAL FIRE’s San Benito-Monterey Unit, where he led a unit with 21 stations and more than 400 career staff serving five communities, in addition to providing wildland fire prevention and suppression services.
“Chief Blue will bring exceptional, engaged leadership to the city of Vancouver and Fire District 5 in support of the Vancouver Fire Department’s core mission of fire suppression, prevention and emergency medical services,” said Vancouver City Manager Eric Holmes.
“It is a distinct honor and a privilege to be selected to lead the dedicated men and women of the Vancouver Fire Department,” said Blue. “I look forward to building on the great work of the department staff in collaboration with the community. Together, we will continue to provide the highest level of fire and emergency response to the residents and visitors of our vibrant and growing community.”
Blue also has extensive experience in incident command for a wide range of emergency responses and has led the development of prevention, rescue, and hazmat programs for the communities he has served.
In addition to his ongoing professional development and training, Blue has been working towards earning a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from Bellevue College, which he will complete in 2021. He currently lives in Clark County with his family.
Information provided by city of Vancouver.
