ESCONDIDO — Fire Chief Rick Vogt is retiring after serving more than 30 years of service in Southern California.
Vogt started as a firefighter 33 years ago, working for CalFire Riverside County before being promoted to engineer and captain. His first assigned station was in Temecula in 1989, where he still lives with his wife and their two youngest children.
After 15 years in Riverside County, Vogt worked for 10 years with the San Marcos Fire Department as Battalion Chief, leading the newly formed, joint Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Division that combined Escondido and San Marcos fire departments for EMS training, education, purchasing, policy and procedures.
Vogt also served as a member of the command staff on a statewide major incident management team where he deployed to dozens of large wildfires and disasters.
During his time in San Marcos, Vogt also became familiar with Escondido and its fire department. He joined Escondido in 2015 as division chief leading the training and EMS division. In 2016 he was promoted to deputy chief of operations and finally to fire chief in 2017.
Vogt’s accomplishments as fire chief include the purchase of five new fire engines and an upgrade of the department’s technology, including radios, mobile data computers and the fire station alert system.
He also oversaw the implementation of community programs to install free smoke alarms in homes and provide elderly and disabled residents with lock boxes that allow paramedics to access homes during emergencies.
His proudest achievements as fire chief are the enhancements made to members’ training and experience in the department, like the ‘Blue Card’ incident command certification program that prepares firefighters for actual emergencies through a simulation lab.
Additional investments in the Fire Explorer program have helped Escondido youth learn about and prepare for a fire service career.
Throughout his years of service, training has been a top priority for Vogt. While in Riverside, Vogt served as a training captain and ran the Moreno Valley Fire Academy for a number of years. He later continued to lead in training roles in San Marcos and Escondido.
“Training and education is so important not just to take care of the business at hand and the projects and priorities of today, but to make sure there are people in place and ready to step up later and continue seamlessly,” Vogt said.
In addition to leading the Escondido Fire Department for the last six years, Vogt is also recognized as a regional fire service leader as an active member of the North Zone Fire Chiefs and the San Diego County Fire Chiefs Association.
“I firmly believe that leadership is not about rank, it’s about influence,” Vogt said. “I try to add value in whatever position I happen to be in.”
Vogt is set to retire officially in mid-July. After that, he intends to take it easy for a while, spending more time with his 15-year-old twins and two adult children while also supporting his wife in her role as a middle school teacher in Temecula.
Vogt is currently the last of a long line of family members to retire from the fire service. His father, uncle, aunt, brother and cousin all previously retired from CALFIRE in various leadership roles.
City Manager Sean McGlynn wished the Chief a happy retirement.
“Chief Vogt has served the public for over three decades, providing guidance, ensuring safety and sharing his fire expertise with his team,” McGlynn said. “Our community has benefited greatly from his leadership and dedication to Escondido.”
The city launched a nationwide search for a new fire chief and will consider both internal and external applicants.
