A deputy fire chief from Sacramento was appointed Monday as chief of the Pasadena Fire Department and is expected to begin his new job Feb. 22.

Chad Augustin, a 20-year veteran of the fire service, will lead the department of 190 fulltime employees with an annual budget of $55.5 million. He was selected through the help of a recruiting firm hired by the city, which spent four months conducting a nationwide search.

In a statement, City Manager Steve Mermell said he was “so pleased” about the hire, touting Augustin’s experience and qualifications from years working at the Sacramento Fire Department, which services about 480,000 residents and over 20,000 businesses, responding to roughly 80,000 calls per year, according to the department’s website.

“The chief’s passion for the fire service is infectious, and he has a reputation as being a leader others want to follow,” Marmell said.

“His desire to foster innovation, collaborate with school districts and state and local agencies, and mentor the next generation of fire service leaders will benefit the Pasadena community and fire department employees.”

In Sacramento, Augustin oversaw the Fire Operations and Emergency Medical Services divisions, managing operations at two dozen fire station and an annual budget of $100 million, according to Mermell.

Rising up the ranks from a firefighter-paramedic to deputy chief, Augustin had “a diverse background in hazardous materials, urban search and rescue, large-scale emergency/disaster incident management, and developing short- and long-range plans,” Mermell said.

Augustin was selected in February to participate in the Fire Service Executive Development Institute which provides “new and aspiring chiefs with the tools they need to have successful and productive tenures,” Mermell said.

Augustin, who holds a master’s degree in legal studies and a bachelor’s in fire administration, was selected to be interviewed as part of a group of 11 applicants, who city officials determined were “most qualified” out of the field of 40.

Augustin went through initial screening interviews, then was interviewed in mid-December by a panel of fire chiefs, Pasadena Fire Department employees, assistant city managers and Mermell as part of the top four finalists.

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