SOLANA BEACH — A new interim fire chief has stepped forward to serve Del Mar and Solana Beach as the two cities work toward a new fire services partnership.
The Solana Beach City Council agreed on Dec. 10 to appoint longtime fire official Colin Stowell as interim fire chief for the Solana Beach and Del Mar fire departments, effective Jan. 5.
Stowell will be coming out of retirement for the role. He retired as chief of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department in 2024 after more than 20 years of service, and also led East County’s Heartland Fire and Rescue Department, serving El Cajon, La Mesa, and Lemon Grove, for two years.
“We thank Chief Stowell for his willingness to serve our community and look forward to more updates on this role and transition in early 2026,” the city of Solana Beach said in a Dec. 26 announcement.
Encinitas Fire Chief Josh Gordon previously served as fire chief for Encinitas, Solana Beach, and Del Mar under a cooperative fire management services agreement between the three cities. In place since 2009, the agreement consolidated executive leadership and implemented cost-sharing among the three fire departments.
However, Gordon will now lead Encinitas Fire exclusively, as the department prepares to exit the cooperative agreement by March and establish an independent fire department. Additional fire management staff roles previously shared between the cities — including an administrative fire captain, fire marshal, senior deputy fire marshal, and management analyst — are now also held by Encinitas employees.
Solana Beach will also be looking for a permanent fire chief to take over in the next few months, with City Manager Alyssa Muto recommending on Dec. 10 to start the recruitment process “as soon as possible.”
“Given Mr. Stowell’s unique knowledge and experience, the City Manager recommends hiring Mr. Stowell as an Interim Fire Chief during the recruitment process and until a permanent Fire Chief has been selected and hired,” a staff report states.
After Encinitas announced in July that it would leave the cooperative agreement, Solana Beach and Del Mar began discussing options for a new fire management model between the two cities. A proposed cost-sharing agreement could be addressed by the Del Mar City Council as soon as next week.
Del Mar has nine fire personnel, and Solana Beach has 18. Each city has one fire station.
Neither city will lose any of its own fire personnel or equipment as a result of the transition. All three fire departments will maintain strong partnerships, and neighboring agencies will continue to assist one another in emergencies.
