Nearly 30 years after graduating with the Palomar College Fire Academy\u2019s first class, Ed Hadfield is back in North County as Chief of the Rincon Fire Department.<\/p>\n
SAN MARCOS \u2014 Ed Hadfield was among the first firefighters to graduate from the Palomar College Fire Academy when they walked across the stage for their diplomas in the early 1990s.<\/p>\n
He had started his career just a few miles away from the college as a reserve firefighter with the Deer Springs Fire Department, and he would go on to teach at Palomar for several years after graduation.<\/p>\n
Thus began a lengthy career in the fire service that took Hadfield all over California, as he moved up through the ranks; including posts as Division Chief in Coronado, in 2007, and Deputy Chief in Santa Maria from 2013-15.<\/p>\n
Three years ago, Hadfield came back to North County as the Fire Chief of the Rincon Fire Department, headquartered just south of Harrah\u2019s on Valley Center Road. The department is administered by the Rincon Band of Luise\u00f1o Indians, and Hadfield reports to the tribal council.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur territory is very unique\u2014we have high-rise hotels, we have large convention centers, we have large casinos that we protect,\u201d said Hadfield. \u201cBut at the same time, we have a very rural area. As a firefighter, you have to be very well-versed in all of it: You have to understand high-rise commercial operations and over-the-side rescues.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur firefighters are very balanced and very good at all aspects of the craft,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
As one of 10 local fire departments that partner with Palomar College, Rincon recently began hosting a Palomar class, FIRE 98, at the department\u2019s facilities, where Rincon firefighters can earn college credit and satisfy training requirements while on duty.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are extremely excited to be the first fire department serving a tribal organization in the state of California to have partnered with a local community college\u201d in a program like this, Hadfield said.<\/p>\n
Palomar College Fire Academy Director Dave Miller said firefighters are required to renew certain requirements annually, and the FIRE 98 curriculum is designed to meet those requirements.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe help departments encourage ongoing training by making their employees students of the college while they\u2019re at work,\u201d Miller explained.<\/p>\n
As for the Fire Academy at Palomar College, students must complete 650 hours, attending full-time, five days a week. The 54th academy is in session as of October 2018.<\/p>\n
Hadfield said his department goes out of its way to hire firefighters from Palomar\u2019s program.<\/p>\n
\u201cPalomar has the best graduates coming out of any fire academy,\u201d he said. \u201cThe level of professionalism, the level of expertise, and their ability to hit the ground running are second to none. And we are one of the most diverse departments in all of San Diego, statistically \u2026 so we really appreciate the fact that the college embraces and thrives on diversity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hadfield said he would like to teach again, given the opportunity, as a way to give back after a long career in California\u2019s fire services.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe instruction here has always been top-notch,\u201d he said. \u201cThe people who teach here are the best firefighters in the area, the curriculum has always been based on best practices, and by and large, the program has only gotten better.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"