The Chief's Corner


Hi! I'm Bill Smith present Chief of the Colton Fire Department.

My wife and I moved to Colton approximately 7 years ago. Prior to moving here, I had been a member of another fire department, so that I have actually been involved in the fire service since 1997.

I joined the Colton Fire Department in 2005. I joined as a interior fire fighter and also serve the rescue squad as an aemt-I. I took the position of 1st Asst. Chief in January, 2008, and moved up to Chief January, 2009.

Working together with the other members of the Fire Department,
we started out this year with two primary goals in mind:

  • 1. To recruit new volunteers so we can continue to meet the needs of the community, and
  • 2. To improve our training programs so we can better prepare the new volunteers and further develop the skills and knowledge of the existing volunteers. Our ultimate goal is to have a highly functional group working together in a safe and efficient manner.

In the last 12 months we acquired 4 new members and are currently interviewing two more. The new members are Aaron Johnson, Trevor DAamour,Candy Atkinson, and J.J Angleburger.

At this time we're busy preparing them for their new roles through extensive training. Our job does not stop there, though. We still need many more volunteers and we need to continue to train all of the volunteers on a continuous basis.

I must make a correction here regarding my concern about the training budget which was recently approved. I miss read the figures and now realize that the training budget has actually increased by one third. This will be a great help in ensuring that out volunteers receive the best training possible. My equipment budget has been cut approximately in half, so as Chief, I continue to have a concern over that, but will work within the budget.

In closing, I just want to say that I am proud of all the men and women who volunteer their time so selflessly for the good of the community, and want to extend my thanks to them for all that they do.

Thank you for your support.

Bill Smith, Chief, Colton Fire Department