Greg Fish is back on the block, taking the helm of the Glendale Fire Department. This seasoned fireman, with a tenure spanning more than three decades, is once again stepping into the role of Fire Chief, a position he held from 2015 to 2018. It's a homecoming for Fish, who started battling blazes in Glendale back in '87.
City Manager Roubik Golanian didn't have to look far to find the right person for the job. Plucking Fish from retirement, he's been tapped to permanently take over the department, which he was already running as the acting chief since November 1 last year. "It is with great pleasure that we welcome Chief Fish back to our organization and to our community," Golanian jubilantly stated in a report obtained by Glendaleca.gov. According to Golanian, Chief Fish's "dedication to public safety, his profound commitment to Glendale, and his proven leadership skills are exactly what we need and I’m confident he will continue to uphold the highest standards of service and professionalism that our community expects."
Fish's resume is as solid as they come in the fire business. He's been a firefighter, captain, battalion chief, deputy chief, and chief. Not to just quietly serve, he's been actively shaping future fire professionals as a Fire Academy Assistant Administrator and adjunct faculty member at Glendale Community College. The cherry on top of his career sundae was the Distinguished Service Award, recognizing his outstanding contributions to the department.
After initially hanging up his fire hat in Glendale in 2018, Fish went on to flex his firefighting muscles as the Fire Chief for the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire District. There, he continued to finely tune his mastery in emergency response until his retirement on September 30, 2023.
The educational groundwork for Chief Fish's career was laid at California State University, Northridge—where he earned a Master of Public Administration, Public Sector Management and Leadership with distinction—and at Woodbury University in Burbank, where he snagged a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership.
