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John R. Hawkins was appointed as the CAL FIRE Riverside Unit Chief on
August 1, 2006. With his appointment he also became the Riverside County Fire Chief.
The Riverside County Board of Supervisors selected and approved of Chief Hawkins for
the County Fire Chief’s position and assisted CAL FIRE in selecting the Chief. Chief
Hawkins has worked for CAL FIRE for 42 years and has been assigned throughout the state. He
began is career with CAL FIRE in 1964 as a seasonal firefighter. He has worked through
the ranks and held a variety of positions providing him with a well-rounded and diverse background.
Chief Hawkins brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the position. He
understands the complexities of Riverside County and is prepared to meet the challenges of
providing emergency services to the citizens we protect. Prior to his Unit Chief appointment, Chief
Hawkins was a Deputy Chief for CAL FIRE and Riverside County Fire. As a Deputy Chief in
Riverside, Chief Hawkins was responsible for all Special Operations including training, health and
safety, EMS, hazardous materials, technical rescue, video production, telecommunications including
the Emergency Command Center, information technology and Pre-Fire Management. Additionally, he
co-supervised the multi-agency response to the devastating drought problems in the San Jacinto
Mountains and served as a Unified Incident Commander as part of the Riverside County Mountain Area
Safety Task Force (MAST).
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