Davis’ new fire chief is Los Angeles Fire Department veteran

A 36-year veteran of the Los Angeles Fire Department has been named Davis’ new fire chief.

Daryl C. Arbuthnott, a deputy chief with the Los Angeles department, moved up through the ranks and served in several communities, including Brentwood, downtown Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood. During his tenure, he managed and oversaw 39 fire stations, an air operations section and 1,117 uniformed employees, according to a Davis news release.

“Chief Arbuthnott is a strong addition to our management team,” Davis City Manager Dirk Brazil said in a written statement. “He has a tremendous amount of practical operations experience, a proven commitment to community involvement and an incredible enthusiasm for the work.”

Arbuthnott will assume his duties in Davis on July 17.

Arbuthnott’s appointment follows the May 1 termination of a shared management agreement between the city of Davis and the UC Davis Fire Department. In 2014, UC Davis Fire Chief Nathan Trauernicht assumed the dual role as fire chief of both agencies. The agreement, according to the news release, was designed to maximize resources and reduce duplication of efforts. The agreement was terminated at the request of UC Davis, which cited challenges in managing two fire departments under single leadership.

This story was originally published June 14, 2017 at 5:48 PM with the headline "Davis’ new fire chief is Los Angeles Fire Department veteran."