McIntosh named fire chief

The City Council approved the nomination of a new fire chief at its meeting Monday.

Orange County Fire Authority Deputy Fire Chief Patrick McIntosh will take the helm of the Huntington Beach Fire Department on Jan. 27.

“I’m honored and, quite frankly, humbled to have the opportunity to serve as your next fire chief,” McIntosh said.

Fire Chief Duane Olson is retiring today after 39 years of service to the city. McIntosh was chosen out of a pool of 70 applicants for the position.

“Chief McIntosh was selected from a very qualified group of candidates who were gathered from a national recruitment,” City Administrator Fred Wilson said in a statement. “He is certainly capable of leading the Fire Department, and I look forward to him joining the executive team.”

McIntosh was one of the first executive fire officers in the nation to receive Chief Fire Officer Designation in 2000. He started with the Orange County Fire Authority in 1982 as a firefighter and, during his nearly 28 years there, moved up through the ranks as assistant chief, division chief and battalion chief before reaching deputy fire chief in 2007.

Before joining the Orange County Fire Authority, McIntosh was a firefighter for the city of San Gabriel for three years.

McIntosh completed a Harvard University program for senior executives in state and local government and has a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Chapman University and a bachelor’s degree in fire protection administration from Cal State Los Angeles. He graduated from the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program.

The 51-year-old San Gabriel native lives in Laguna Niguel with his wife and two daughters.

“Let me be the first to welcome Chief McIntosh to the city of Huntington Beach,” Wilson said. “Welcome, chief.”

Garden

The council also approved a conceptual project for a community garden in Huntington and will send a letter of support on its behalf to get the project going.

The project by the Beach Community Garden Assn. would create a 2.5-acre community garden on Atlanta Avenue at the Santa Ana River. The land is currently owned by Southern California Edison, but the city is in negotiations with the company for a lease.

The city approved sending a letter to Edison to expedite the review and approval process.

“We’re asking specifically for you, Mayor [Cathy] Green, to write a letter to grease the wheels a little bit,” said Joanne Rasmussen, the Beach Community Garden Assn.’s co-founder.

The association and city staff are also working on a memorandum of understanding between the association and the city and the city and Edison. The memorandums must come before the City Council for approval.

The city still has to work out issues relating to the financial aspect of the project concerning water, yearly fees and trash.

Entertainment

Downtown businesses with entertainment permits are going to have to toe the line more strictly now that the council unanimously approved an increase in the fine schedule for violators.

Fines were doubled for the first and second violations, and a 15-day suspension of the permit for the third and subsequent violations was added. The permit can also now be revoked by the chief of police after the fourth violation.

The changes were suggested by the Downtown Image Ad Hoc Committee, which found the current fines ineffective.