Marin fire chief's record speaks for itself

Credit Marin County Fire Chief Jason Weber for never shirking his leadership role.

From building Marin's resilience to the threat of a destructive wildfire and opening the doors of the fire department ranks to diversity, Weber has played an impressive leadership role.

From responding to changing demands facing Marin's firefighting and paramedic forces and, most recently, playing a key role in Marin pandemic strategy, Weber has made a difference.

His varied initiatives and their success have won him praise from his peers statewide who recently honored him as 2023 “chief of the year” by the California Fire Chiefs Association, an organization of chiefs from about 800 fire agencies.

True to form, Weber credits “the whole team,” recognizing important roles played by the rank and file, county leadership that has backed his initiatives and Marin residents who in 2020 voted for Measure C and the formation of the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority.

Weber's right. The dedicated and hard work of others are vital to the continued success of the department's recent initiatives, but Weber's leadership was key to getting them started and keeping them growing.

Weber has been the county's fire chief since 2012. He joined the department right out of high school as a seasonal firefighter in 1995 and was just 36 years old when he was named fire chief.

Clearly, his motive has been public service, a focus that paved the way in his influence and effective leadership.

County Administrator Matthew Hymel wrote in a nomination letter. “Chief Weber has demonstrated extraordinary and selfless leadership over the past year to make our community safer and healthier.”

That's high praise from your boss.

Weber's strong leadership in the Measure C campaign was important in bringing Marin's numerous fire agencies together in a common goal of taking action now and in the future to protect our lives and homes from the kinds of wildfires that have taken such a tragic toll in other North Bay counties.

His collaborative leadership has been seen countywide, including the start of the Fire Foundry, a program aimed at opening doors to careers in firefighting and rescue to young people whose backgrounds are often underrepresented.

In addition, Weber has expanded fire departments' dispatch services, not an easy task given that he had to build support among the fire agencies as well as win backing among county budget decisionmakers.

Marin has been fortunate to have two other local chiefs win the honor, named for Ronny J. Coleman, a former state fire marshal who also served as chief of the Fullerton and San Clemente fire departments. Weber's predecessor, Ken Massucco received the honor in 2009 and thenSan Rafael fire Chief Bob Marcucci was the recipient in 2000.

Chief Weber's trusted leadership is evident in his success in bringing people together in working toward a common goal. His responsive approach, his recognition of tradition and the need for change and innovation and his clear dedication to public service have bridged political and regional challenges.

We're fortunate to have this kind of leader on our front lines here in Marin.