Outgoing chief retiring after long service stint
After nearly 40 years of service that began in the Hollister
station, Cal Fire Unit Chief George Haines recently announced his
retirement.
He will be replaced by Richard
”
Rick
”
Hutchinson Jr., who has nearly 30 years of experience in fire
service.
Outgoing chief retiring after long service stint
After nearly 40 years of service that began in the Hollister station, Cal Fire Unit Chief George Haines recently announced his retirement.
He will be replaced by Richard “Rick” Hutchinson Jr., who has nearly 30 years of experience in fire service.
Haines began his career as a seasonal firefighter in the San Benito/Monterey Unit of what is now known as Cal Fire in 1970. Remaining in the unit for his entire career, he was promoted through the ranks to eventually become unit chief.
As chief, Haines was responsible for 17 fire stations as well as the Hollister Air Attack Base, the Bear Valley Helitack Base, Gabilan Conservation Camp and the King City Service Center.
He oversaw 140 permanent employees, 140 seasonal employees and six volunteer fire companies with a total of 90 volunteers.
The chief also administered cooperative agreements with various fire districts throughout the region, including the San Benito County Fire Department and the Aromas Tri-County Fire District.
Captain Jim Dellamonica said in a press release that Haines “has had a long and very rewarding career with Cal Fire and now plans on enjoying retirement house-boating and fishing with his wife, Connie.”
“All of us here in the San Benito/Monterey County Unit wish Chief Haines the best in his well-deserved retirement,” Dellamonica added.
Haines’ replacement, Hutchinson, will take over as the area Cal Fire unit chief on Jan. 1, 2010. His time in the fire service dates back to age 16, when he was hired by the city of Poway as a reserve fire fighter.
He has been with Cal Fire since 1982.
He was promoted to fire captain in the Tulare unit in 1993 and was promoted to battalion chief for training and safety in Monterey in 1998.
Two years later he was appointed assistant chief of the Santa Clara Unit, for which he managed the business service functions and managed field operations.
He later returned to the San Benito-Monterey Unit as assistant chief of the south division, overseeing emergency operations, the Gabilan Conservation Camp and the service center.
Hutchinson, who lives in Gonzales with his wife, Pam, was the Tulare County Fire Department’s “Firefighter of the year” in 1996 and he is a statewide incident commander.
In a press release, Hutchinson said he “looks forward to continuing and improving the cooperative relationships” emergency services agencies throughout the region have enjoyed for years.
