The City of San Luis Obispo announced that Fire Chief Todd Tuggle has resigned, effective January 4, 2026, after three years of service, and that Randall Harris has been selected to serve as Interim Fire Chief.

Chief Tuggle has led the San Luis Obispo Fire Department since December 5, 2022, and has been instrumental in advancing several key initiatives. His accomplishments include launching the City’s first Mobile Crisis Unit, guiding long-term planning for the future Fire Station 5, and helping the City implement new state Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps and adopt the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code.

“It has been my honor serving the community of San Luis Obispo,” Tuggle said. “I am committed to ensuring continuity in command to maintain the high level of service our community expects.”

The City intends to appoint Randall Harris as Interim Fire Chief, who is the current Deputy Fire Chief for the City of Paso Robles and will soon retire after 28 years of service to the city. He brings extensive command experience and deep knowledge of fire service operations in San Luis Obispo County. Harris will begin serving as Interim Fire Chief on January 5, 2026.

“We are grateful for Todd’s leadership and many contributions to our community,” said City Manager Whitney McDonald. “We look forward to working with Randall to support our Fire Department in continuing to provide the high level of service our community has been experiencing for many years.”

Media Contact: Whitney Szentesi, Public Communications Manager, wszentes@slocity.org