Gilroy
– Gilroy completed a swap of sorts Tuesday, hiring an assistant
fire chief from San Jose to lead the city’s fire department, after
losing the former chief to San Jose earlier this year.
By Lori Stuenkel
Gilroy – Gilroy completed a swap of sorts Tuesday, hiring an assistant fire chief from San Jose to lead the city’s fire department, after losing the former chief to San Jose earlier this year.
Dale Foster is Gilroy’s new fire chief, city officials announced Wednesday. City Council will formally approve the hire next month, and Foster will start Feb. 1, 2005.
A 32-year veteran of the San Jose Fire Department, Foster, 56, rose through the ranks there from firefighter, engineer, captain, battalion chief, deputy chief, and currently assistant chief. He served as interim chief for more than a year, until San Jose hired then-Gilroy Chief Jeff Clet.
The two became friends working together in San Jose for 20 years, and Clet “absolutely” had something to do with Foster’s decision to apply for the Gilroy vacancy, Foster said.
“After he left there and knew what was going on there, he encouraged me to pursue it,” Foster said.
A resident of Morgan Hill for 18 years with his wife, Eileen, a San Jose public safety dispatcher, Foster said he thinks Gilroy is a great community.
“Gilroy is really growing, and I think it’s got some great opportunities as a community,” he said. “And I thought it would be a good move to move out of San Jose to Gilroy to work with the issues that Gilroy is dealing with.”
GFD Capt. Ed Bozzo, who was involved in the interview process, said he would be a solid addition. Foster’s move from a department several times larger than Gilroy’s was taken into consideration throughout the process, Bozzo said.
Foster sees many similarities between the departments, despite their differences in size.
“Many of the issues are the same – obviously, the scale’s a little bit different – but many of the same things are happening in Gilroy,” he said.
A few of those issues, he said, include trying to provide effective and efficient fire services to the city, developing the department personnel, improving firefighting apparatus and equipment, and maintaining good training programs.
“Gilroy’s got a good reputation, the fire department’s got a good reputation,” he said. “I think they’re heading in the right direction, and I want to keep the momentum going.”
Foster’s selection comes after a year-long recruitment and hiring process, after Clet announced in February he would become San Jose’s chief. Out of 25 applicants, a community-based panel of local business and community leaders, a technical panel of fire and city management officials, and an internal panel of city department heads all interviewed six of the top candidates. Foster emerged as the first choice following the extensive interview process, and over the past month-and-a-half completed an in-depth background check.
In announcing Foster’s hire Wednesday, City Administrator Jay Baksa said he is pleased to have a high quality professional join the city.
“He did a wonderful job in the many positions that he has held over the years within the San Jose Fire Department,” Baksa said. “He has a very well-rounded background and is ideally suited to lead the Gilroy Fire Department, which has recently completed its Fire Master Plan and instituted a first-rate paramedic program.”
Meanwhile, Clet, in his ninth month with San Jose, said that city will be sorry to see Foster go.
“He was just a tremendous asset in San Jose,” Clet said. “I think Dale’s just a very talented individual and will do great things for the City of Gilroy.”
Foster will retire from the SJFD Jan. 29 before coming to Gilroy, where he will earn $141,216 per year. In San Jose, he was making $160,962.
Interim Chief Hugh Holden, former fire chief in Mountain View and Gilroy’s interim chief in 2001-02, will continue in his position until Foster’s first day Feb. 1.
