With longtime California Department of Forestry Chief Reno
DiTullio retiring, fire officials have appointed a new leader with
more than 28 years of experience fighting fires to head the San
Benito-Monterey Unit.
With longtime California Department of Forestry Chief Reno DiTullio retiring, fire officials have appointed a new leader with more than 28 years of experience fighting fires to head the San Benito-Monterey Unit.
CDF Director Andrea Tuttle recently selected Sam Mazza as the new unit chief for CDF’s San Benito-Monterey Unit.
Mazza replaces DiTullio, who is retiring after more than 37 years with the CDF. DiTullio started working for CDF in 1965 as a seasonal firefighter at the Carmel Hill Forest Fire station on Highway 68.
Mazza has worked with CDF in Monterey County since 1991. Most recently, Mazza was the assistant chief responsible for CDF operations for the Monterey Peninsula. But he also has experience in fighting urban and wildland fires, training, dispatching, air operations, fire prevention and investigation and conservation camp operations.
Mazza earned a degree in fire science from Fresno City College, a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the California Sate University system, and is an instructor at the CDF Fire Academy. He is also the incident commander on one of CDF’s 10 statewide Incident Command Teams.
As unit chief, Mazza is responsible for administering CDF’s operations within San Benito and Monterey counties, including 12 CDF wildland fire stations, an Air Attack Base at the Hollister Municipal Airport, a Helitack base at the Bear Valley Fire Station on Airline Highway, and Gabilan Conservation Camp near Soledad.
Mazza is the fire chief responsible for administering the CDF cooperative fire protection contracts with Aromas, Cypress, Carmel Highlands, and South Monterey County Fire Protection District, Pebble Beach Community Services District and the San Benito County Fire Department.
He is expected to take over as fire and rescue coordinator for the state’s Office of Emergency Services for the Monterey County area.
As coordinator, he will run all Monterey County fire and rescue resources under the state’s guidelines during a major disaster.
In his down time, Mazza works as a volunteer for the Car-A-Van program at Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto.
