The City of Glendale is welcoming a new fire chief. Timothy Ernst’s appointment was confirmed by the City Council Wednesday. His swearing-in ceremony will take place September 29 at 9:00 a.m. at Fire Station 21 on Oak Street in Glendale.
Ernst has worked in the fire service for 35 years. He joined the LAFD as a paramedic in 1987, rising through the ranks and eventually becoming Assistant Chief of the LAFD.
“With an extensive background in large incident organization & management, Chief Ernst has held the position of Incident Commander of an LAFD Incident Management Team for over 10 years and has been a member of a CAL FIRE Incident Management Team for 12 years, where he has held the position of the Operations Section Chief at some of the largest wildfires in our State's history,” according to a press release.
“Before beginning his fire service career, he joined the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department as a Reserve Deputy, serving as an elite mountain rescue team member in our local southern California mountains for over 17 years.”
“We are very excited to appoint Chief Ernst as the next Fire Chief of the city of Glendale,” said Mayor Ardy Kassakhian. “We have a reputation for providing excellent fire safety services to our businesses and residents. I am glad we found the right person for the job. Tim has lived in La Crescenta with his family and understands our community and needs. The council and I look forward to working with him to ensure that Glendale remains a safe, first-class city.”
"I seek to continue making a positive impact on the future of the fire service through continued engagement at all levels and progressive leadership of the outstanding members of the Glendale Fire Department - knowing that today's firefighters will be tomorrow's fire service leaders. I am honored to serve as your Fire Chief,” stated Ernst.