The LA County Fire Chief is Anthony C. Marrone, who was formally appointed by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors effective February 28, 2023.1Los Angeles County Fire Department. Board of Supervisors Appoints Anthony C. Marrone as Los Angeles County Fire Chief He is the tenth person to hold the role and leads one of the largest fire protection agencies in the United States, with 176 fire stations and an annual budget of roughly $1.6 billion.2Los Angeles County Fire Department. About Us The formal title is Fire Chief, Forester, and Fire Warden.
Who Anthony C. Marrone Is
Marrone has been with the Los Angeles County Fire Department for roughly 39 years and spent more than 27 of those years as a chief officer before taking the top job.2Los Angeles County Fire Department. About Us He served as Interim Fire Chief for more than 11 months after the retirement of the ninth Fire Chief, Daryl L. Osby, in 2022, and the Board of Supervisors then made the appointment permanent.1Los Angeles County Fire Department. Board of Supervisors Appoints Anthony C. Marrone as Los Angeles County Fire Chief
His background runs through both sides of the department. He has supervised or managed the Emergency Medical Services Bureau, the Leadership and Professional Standards Bureau, several regional operations bureaus, and the department’s Business Operations division. He has also served as an Incident Commander on one of the department’s three Incident Management Teams and sat on the FIRESCOPE Board of Directors and the Los Angeles County Emergency Preparedness Commission.1Los Angeles County Fire Department. Board of Supervisors Appoints Anthony C. Marrone as Los Angeles County Fire Chief
As of early 2026, he remains in the position.3Los Angeles County Fire Department. January 2026
What the LA County Fire Chief Does
The Fire Chief is the administrative head of the Consolidated Fire Protection District, with authority set out in Los Angeles County Code Title 2, Chapter 2.20. That authority covers fire suppression, emergency medical services, technical rescue, hazardous materials response, and ocean lifeguard operations. The Chief sets departmental policy, enforces county fire prevention codes, and makes the final call on operational matters that affect public safety across the district.
The job is also financial. The department runs on a budget of roughly $1.6 billion, and the Chief decides how those resources move across stations, equipment, personnel, and training.2Los Angeles County Fire Department. About Us That includes long-term capital planning for new stations and apparatus, plus administration of federal grant programs such as FEMA’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants and Assistance to Firefighters Grants.4FEMA.gov. Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program
The Chief is also responsible for keeping the department compliant with the National Incident Management System, the federal framework that governs how agencies coordinate during large disasters. NIMS compliance is a condition of eligibility for federal disaster funding.5Federal Emergency Management Agency. National Incident Management System
Why the Title Includes Forester and Fire Warden
The full title, Fire Chief, Forester, and Fire Warden, traces back to the department’s founding. The agency grew out of California’s Forest Protection Act of 1905, when the Board of Supervisors appointed the County Fish and Game Warden to the additional role of Fire Warden to protect the region’s watershed. The fire protection mission expanded well beyond that over the next century, but the historical title stayed, and it still matches operational reality: the department manages significant wildland fire responsibilities across the county’s mountainous terrain and urban-wildland interface.
LA County Fire Chief vs. LA City Fire Chief
The LA County Fire Chief is a different position from the Los Angeles City Fire Chief. The city department (LAFD) operates within the City of Los Angeles and reports to the mayor. The county department covers unincorporated areas and dozens of contract cities across the broader county, and the Chief is appointed by the Board of Supervisors. Public confusion between the two spiked during the January 2025 wildfires, when the city’s fire chief was dismissed by the mayor while county leadership stayed in place.
How the Chief Is Appointed and Removed
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors appoints the Fire Chief, and the position serves at the pleasure of the Board, meaning the Chief can be removed without cause by the same body that made the appointment. That creates a direct line of accountability from the department to elected officials.
There are no publicly codified minimum requirements for the position, but practical expectations include deep command-level experience and familiarity with the administrative machinery of a billion-dollar agency. Marrone’s 27 years as a chief officer before his appointment is representative of that bar.2Los Angeles County Fire Department. About Us
Where the Department Operates
The Los Angeles County Fire Department operates out of 176 fire stations and employs thousands of uniformed and civilian personnel, including over 1,600 firefighting and lifeguard staff. It protects all unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, plus cities that contract with the Consolidated Fire Protection District. Thirteen cities maintain fee-for-service contracts with the district, including Azusa, Commerce, Covina, El Monte, Gardena, and Hawthorne.6Los Angeles County Fire Department. Contracting
The service area covers dense urban neighborhoods, suburban subdivisions, remote mountain communities, coastal bluffs, and large stretches of wildland. The same organization might run a medical call in a dense city center, a technical cliff rescue along the coast, and a wildland fire in the Angeles National Forest foothills on the same day, and the Chief has to staff and equip for all of it.
Marrone and the January 2025 Wildfires
The Palisades and Eaton fires in January 2025 tested the entire region’s emergency infrastructure during Marrone’s tenure. Los Angeles County’s after-action review found no single point of failure in the county’s warning and evacuation efforts, but it identified a combination of weaknesses including outdated policies, inconsistent practices, and communication vulnerabilities that hampered the overall response.7Los Angeles County. Eaton and Palisades Fires After-Action Reviews Hurricane-force winds grounded all firefighting aircraft and caused widespread power outages, making nighttime aerial surveillance impossible on the critical night of January 7.
The fires drew intense public scrutiny toward fire leadership across the region. The City of Los Angeles fired its fire chief in the aftermath. The county department, under Marrone’s leadership, continued operations and participated in the mutual aid response that brought resources from across California and beyond.
How to Contact the Department
The department’s administrative headquarters is at 1320 N. Eastern Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90063.8Los Angeles County Fire Department. Contact Us The main administrative phone number is (323) 881-2411, and public affairs can be reached at (323) 881-2472.9Los Angeles County. Los Angeles County Fire Department – Administration Those numbers are for administrative business only. For emergencies, call 911.