Department Veteran Previously Led Training and Wildland Divisions
Chuck Scherrei. Courtesy photo.
CAMARILLO — The Ventura County Fire Department announced the promotion of Chuck Scherrei to assistant chief in charge of operations today.
Scherrei, who was selected after a nationwide search, is an 18-year veteran of the department and worked his way through the ranks of firefighter, engineer, captain and battalion chief before receiving this promotion. Most recently, he served as the battalion chief in charge of the Training Division. Previously, he oversaw the Wildland Division after assignments in Battalion 4 serving eastern Ventura County, and in Simi Valley and Moorpark.
“Chief Scherrei is a lifelong student of fire operations, command, and leadership,” Fire Chief Dustin Gardner said. “He has a proven track record of developing, implementing, and leading progressive change and holds himself and those around him to the highest standards.”
Scherrei is a lifelong resident of Ventura County. Before joining the fire department, he worked as a sales operations manager for Amgen.
Scherrei holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and an associate’s degree in fire technology from Oxnard College. He has been married to his wife, Kimberly, for 25 years and they have four children.
In his new role, Scherrei will oversee all field operations and the Fire Communications Center.
“I am incredibly excited about the direction of the Ventura County Fire Department and the opportunities in the near future to continue to build upon our legacy of delivering the highest level of public service,” Scherrei said. “I am honored to serve in this role and help lead our department into our next chapter.”
The department employs nearly 600 personnel and is the primary responder for fire, rescue and medical emergency calls across most of Ventura County, including Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Moorpark, Santa Paula, Ojai and Port Hueneme. The cities of Ventura, Oxnard and Fillmore have their own fire departments. Ventura County firefighters respond to about 47,000 calls for service each year.