Berkeley Fire Department Appoints Interim County Coordinator

Berkeley, CA – The California Fire Safe Council has awarded Alameda County a grant to establish a County Coordinator position focused on enhancing wildfire resiliency and emergency preparedness across the County. This new role, the Alameda County Coordinator (ACC), will be housed within the Berkeley Fire Department (BFD) and will be tasked with identifying and addressing gaps in county-wide wildfire mitigation and preparedness while strengthening outreach and coordination efforts.

To initiate this critical work, Berkeley community member, Chris Cullander, has volunteered as the interim County Coordinator until grant funds are fully available to support a semi-permanent hire. We anticipate securing additional funding in 2025 to ensure sustained leadership in wildfire resiliency.

Chris Cullander brings a wealth of experience to this role, having been an active community leader in wildfire mitigation since becoming a CERT trainer following the Oakland firestorm in 1991. He has served on the Berkeley Path Wanderers Association (BPWA) Board, where he promoted pathway use for emergency wildfire evacuations from Fire Zone 2 in the Berkeley Hills. He also strongly supported BPWA’s ongoing pathway handrail installations for safer evacuations. As an active member of the Berkeley Fire Safe Council, Chris has supported various safety initiatives; obtained an amateur radio license and participated in the Northern Alameda County (NALCO) ARES/RACES BFD Red Flag Warning fire patrol days. His current activities include the promotion of FireWise Communities (FWCs), maintenance of the Berkeley FWC map he created, and serving on the Board of the Berkeley Fire Safe Council as a member of the Education & Preparedness and Development Committee.

To help inform the County Coordinator about stakeholder needs, please take our survey. 

For more information, view our temporary County Coordinator webpage. You can also reach out to CCullander@berkeleyca.gov with further questions.

Media Contact: Dafina Dailey, Public Information Officer, Berkeley Fire Department, ddailey@berkeleyca.gov, 510-847-3602.