HomeMy WebLinkAboutToddTuggleResignationLetterCity Manager McDonald,
I am submitting this resignation letter in accordance with the Personnel rules, effectively
ending my employment with the City of SLO on January 4th 2026.
This resignation represents the end of a very fruitful period of employment as the
Department Director and Fire Chief for the City of SLO. I feel I am leaving the City and the
Department in a better place than when I arrived. My predecessor, Chief Aggson, had done
hard work to change the culture, particularly with Labor Management, setting a new course
for labor relations that was directly observed during my time through effective and efficient
contract negotiations in late 2023. Led by Director Domini and supported by the Fire
Management Team, negotiations were conducted for the flrst time in recent memory
without legal representation at the table; a flrst and a true One-Team effort.
I continued Chief Aggson’s work and charted some challenging courses. The flrst was the
refltting of the Prevention Bureau. Under Fire Marshal Maggio, the bureau was young, green
and yearning for guidance. FM Maggio was tasked with the dual role of Building Official and
Fire Marshal for multiple years, leading to a young team that was often left leaderless and
in need of support. In 2023, I commissioned a review of the Bureau in order develop
alternative structures and supervisory frameworks to achieve more effective operations in
the constantly evolving context of SLO. Two of the key elements of this review were the
heavy role of emergency management in the City and WUI risk. With Rodger’s retirement in
December 2023, I initiated a search for the next Fire Marshal which culminated in the hiring
of Josh Daniel in December 2024, a fantastic shift in leadership that has paid and will pay
dividends to the City for years to come. During the transition to new Prevention Leadership
two employees left the organization continuing a trend of accountability and leadership
that began under Chief Aggson.
By 2025, the new team was in place with Fire Marshal Daniel, Emergency Manager Little
and two new Fire Inspectors. But 2025 was challenging as outside circumstances put the
Fire Department front and center, with a new team and a wicked problem to solve, the WUI
problem.
Starting Januar y 2025, the Palisades and the Eaton flres collectively wreaked havoc,
infiicting one of the worst disasters upon LA County in California history. SLOFD responded
to the flres fulfllling their duty to save life and property, ultimately taking part in a story that
went viral about their heroic efforts. I am incredibly proud of the work they did during those
difficult times. Their efforts have been recognized multiple times through thank you letters
from a council member in LA, citizens in SLO connected to those impacted by the flres and
displaced residents of LA who have landed in SLO, sharing with our team incredible notes
of gratitude. As recently as this week, someone stopped by the station to give their
appreciation for that work.
As the flres waned, concerns about public safety arose in our community. Comparisons
between LA and SLO were quick to appear. February 4th was the flrst inkling of the concern
to come when questions about evacuations surfaced with the Council and SLO’s ability to
incorporate evacuations into planning efforts. Evacuation concerns, coupled with stories
about dry hydrants were addressed with the community in a meeting at the Vets Hall,
where SLOFD stood with partners from across the County to allay public fears.
Close behind the fallout of the Palisades and Eaton flres came the Fire Hazard Severity
Zone Maps and the WUI Code. Two of the most complex issues to confront the City in
decades landed on the Fire Department. Your Fire Department led the effort for both
initiatives, working tirelessly with Building and Safety, Utilities, Planning, City Attorney,
Open Space and Natural Resources, and Transportation to put forth not just detailed
Council Agenda Reports, but entire communication campaigns to educate the community
about the rules and regulations while addressing the overarching fear instilled by the LA
flres, the new maps, and the ever present insurance crisis that continues to plague the
state and the local property owners. With no regret, I am proud of the work done this year,
with a truly cross disciplinary team to bring forward what one department director called
“the most complicated process the City has ever endeavored, more so even than a ballot
measure.”
I have worked tirelessly to bring women into SLOFD, hiring the flrst woman in 3 decades
into the department, which was followed by the hiring of two more women in 2025. While
hiring the flrst female flreflghters was an accomplishment, Fire Department facilities still
lacked individual dormitories in all four stations. I advocated all the way back to early 2023
during CIP project planning for a comprehensive remodel to provide individual privacy
quarters for our female flreflghters to support them feeling part of the team and the City.
To create the recruitment pipeline of female flreflghters, I am a flerce advocate of Camp
Cinder, the local young women’s empowerment camp where participants aged 13-17 are
provided exposure to the Fire Service by professional women in the Fire Service, including
SLOFD’s own Maren McClanahan. Fireflghter McClanahan served as cadre for the event in
2025, providing an opportunity to mentor young women interested in the Fire Service, but
also engaged with a network of professional women flreflghters from across the state who
have helped set the path for young women to pursue a career in the Fire Service.
As my time in SLO comes to an end, it is with profound sadness that I depart the City of
SLO, the Fire Department, and the team I have built in the department. I will also miss the
daily interactions with an incredible group of people from across the City who continue to
give their all to the community each and every day. Nonetheless things change, and I look
to the new year will great anticipation and vigor. Opportunities await and the call to public
service, which began in 1996 as a commissioned officer in the California National Guard,
continued as a Fireflghter in Fresno, will continue into the future through a multitude of
opportunities to support communities throughout California in their efforts to mitigate risk,
build a resilient future, and serve populations most in need.
To the Council, the Community, and dedicated staff of the City of SLO, thank you for your
support and the great work we completed. City Manager McDonald, I respectfully submit
my resignation as the Fire Chief for the City of SLO and bid you farewell, good wishes, and a
prosperous time as the City Manager of the City of San Luis Obispo.
Sincerely,
Todd Tuggle