Unit Chief Scott Jalbert is retiring, effective December 12, 2020. Chief Jalbert has led CAL FIRE’s San Luis Obispo Unit since April 1, 2016, with prudent oversight, dedicated leadership, commitment to the citizens, and with a vision that the San Luis Obispo County Fire Department will exceed expectations and maintain the highest standards of preparedness, training, and emergency response.
Chief Jalbert joined CAL FIRE in June of 1987 in the San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit as a Seasonal Firefighter. Over his 33-year career he has climbed through the ranks as Fire Fighter II, Fire Apparatus Engineer, Fire Captain, Training Officer, Battalion Chief, Assistant Chief, Deputy Chief, and Unit Chief.
Chief Jalbert has served on CAL FIRE Type 1 Incident Management Team’s 2 and 6 from May 2000 to January 2013. He has held the position of Incident Commander, Operations Section Chief, Planning Section Chief, and Situation Unit Leader; and served CAL FIRE as Lead Cadre Member for S-440 Planning Section Chief, and Lead Cadre Member for S-620 Area Command; and until his retirement served as the Area Commander for the National Interagency Area Command Team 3, Advanced All-Hazard Incident Management Cadre Member, and Serious Accident Review Team Leader.
He has committed and tirelessly served as a Certified Master Instructor for CAL FIRE and other agencies in Fire Technology Training classes, such as Area Command, Advanced All-Hazard Incident Management, Serious Accident Review Team, Fire Operations in the Wildland/Urban Interface, Company and Chief Officer command courses, various State Fire Marshal classes, and currently instructs fire command State Fire Training Courses at the City College of San Francisco.
During his 33-year career, Chief Jalbert has worked with different agencies on complex large scale emergency situations such as Incident Commander for the Chimney Fire, Alamo Fire, Avila Fire and the San Bruno Gas Line Explosion; served as an Agency Administrator on the Thomas Fire, Woolsey Fire, Sherpa Fire, and the Santa Barbara Mud-Slide; Area Commander for the August Complex and the Rocky Mountain Area Command in Colorado, and Operations Section Chief for several other large scale events.