San Jose's interim city manager Tuesday announced the appointment of a deputy fire chief to serve temporarily as head of the San Jose Fire Department until the city selects a permanent chief.
Interim City Manager Norberto Duenas chose Deputy Fire Chief Curtis Jacobson as the city's interim fire chief effective Feb. 1 with the retirement this week of Fire Chief Ruben Torres, Duenas stated in a memo Tuesday to the City Council.
Jacobson will serve in the top job during the transitional period while the city holds a national search for a pool of candidates for chief this spring, to be selected by the person the council appoints as City Manager to replace Duenas this year.
Jacobson is a 23-year veteran of the Fire Department where he rose from firefighter to be promoted to captain in 1999 and battalion chief in 2007. He also served as a higher-class deputy chief from 2011 to 2013 and division chief in 2014.
He has been deputy fire chief in the department's Bureau of Operation Support since last summer, where he has been administrator of emergency medical services, training, apparatus, facilities and bond programs.
