Dear Vacaville Residents and Businesses,

While 2022 was challenging for the Vacaville Fire Department in many ways, there were also some exciting new programs we were able to implement. Despite an extreme staffing crisis throughout most of the year, I am proud to say our folks continued to provide the superior services that our community knows and expects from us.

We responded to a record 13,204 incidents in 2022 – a 5.2% increase from 2021. Our ambulances also transported a record number of patients – 8,004. This is the first time we have had more than 8,000 transports and it was an 8.4% increase from the previous year and 22.4% over the past two years.

For Fiscal Year 22/23, our city council approved funding to pilot a Fire Apprentice Program. The goal of the program is to provide an alternative pathway for high character individuals to attain a rewarding career serving their community. We spent the second half of 2022 developing the program and beginning the recruitment process. We are happy to report our initial recruitment yielded 338 applicants. We look forward to keeping you updated on this program. 

For the first time in three years, we were finally able to bring back our awards ceremony to recognize excellence in the Vacaville Fire Department. Like every other year, our selection committee had some tough decisions to make. Congratulations to Firefighter/Paramedic Jerry Di Filippi, our firefighter of the year, and congratulations to Management Analyst Tiffany Giguere, who was named admin employee of the year. Last but not least, congratulations to Mayra Berumen-Perez, who was named our dispatcher of the year. They beat out some stiff competition. Additionally, I want to recognize some other great folks. Lance DeZarn and Dustin Kuntz were nominees for firefighter of the year, and Nathan Rosten and Sabrina Jansen were nominees for admin employee of the year.

In 2022, we welcomed seven new firefighter/paramedics and one new firefighter/EMT to fill some of our vacancies, and also made a few promotions. Congratulations to Mindy Simpson and AJ Cavagnaro on their promotion to the rank of fire captain. Congratulations to Shaun Jimenez, Joe Shorum, Mike Leonhardt, and Jeff Ordonez on their promotion to fire apparatus engineer. Four of our firefighters retired last year with close to 100 years of experience between them. Congratulations to Captain Steve LePera, Engineer Al Cornejo, Engineer/Paramedic Dave Martinelli, and Firefighter/Paramedic Chuck Morse. We wish them all a long and healthy retirement. We will miss all of you and please don’t be strangers.

Thank you for taking the time to review our 2022 Annual Report and learn a little more about the Vacaville Fire Department. Although we were able to start looking at the pandemic in the rearview mirror, 2022 brought different challenges to the Vacaville Fire Department. I am proud to say our staff met each challenge head-on and I am more confident than ever that I work alongside some of the best, and most community minded, firefighters and administrative staff in the country and am honored to serve the 100,000 residents that call Vacaville home, alongside them. We look forward to an exciting 2023.

Respectfully,

Kristian Concepcion

Fire Chief