Chad Costa

Chad Costa serves as the Assistant Fire Chief for the Petaluma, CA, Fire Department, bringing over 26 years of comprehensive experience across various fire service organizations, including CAL FIRE, rural, semi-rural districts, and city environments. Before ascending to his current role, he distinguished himself as the Technology and Communications Battalion Chief, showcasing a profound capability in leveraging technology to enhance communications within fire service.In his expansive career, Costa has developed and honed expertise in multiple facets of fire service management and operations. Currently, he is a rostered Operations Branch Director for CalFire incident Management Team 1 and serves as an alternate Operations Branch Director on California Interagency incident Management Team 5.

His contributions to the field are underpinned by his academic accomplishments, holding a bachelor’s degree in Emergency Services Management, a certificate in Homeland Security, and pursuing an M.S. in Fire Executive Leadership as well the Executive Chief Officer Program at the National Fire Academy. As a part of his duties with the City of Petaluma, Costa is intricately involved in recruitment, retention, and overseeing preemployment evaluations, and promotional processes. His responsibilities extend to the meticulous execution of preemployment screenings, which include polygraph tests, background investigations, psychological exams, and medical evaluations. Costa’s dedication to the recruitment process reflects his deep commitment to integrating comprehensive psychological and health assessments, ensuring the selection and development of candidates who are not only highly skilled but also best fit the evolving needs of modern fire service. His passion for optimizing the recruitment and selection process underscores his broader commitment to enhancing organizational success and ensuring public safety through strategic leadership and innovation.

Chad Costa’s professional accreditations include an accreditation as a Chief Fire Officer through the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE), marking him as a leader dedicated to advancing fire and emergency service excellence across all levels of his organization.