FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Michael Thorne - mthorne@escondido.org
Escondido, CA – Today, City Manager Sean McGlynn announced that Deputy Fire Chief John Tenger has been named Chief for the City of Escondido, after a nationwide search. Chief Tenger will succeed Chief Rick Vogt who will retire on July 15, 2023 after leading the Fire Department for six years and a cumulative 33-year career in fire service.
While making the announcement to the City employee team, Sean McGlynn shared “For nearly three decades John has been a tremendous leader in our fire department and our community. He has the trust, appreciation and respect of the department, colleagues and peers. I am thrilled to promote him to Chief effective July 16, 2023.”
Chief Tenger has been in the fire service for nearly 27 years and has served as the Deputy Fire Chief for the City of Escondido for the last three years. His career began as a volunteer firefighter with the Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District in 1997. Chief Tenger began his fulltime professional career as a Firefighter/Paramedic with the City of Escondido in January 1999. In December of 2003, Chief Tenger was promoted to Fire Engineer and then to Fire Captain in January 2006. In 2010, Chief Tenger was promoted to shift Battalion Chief where he served as a 24-hour shift commander and oversaw the department’s training and EMS programs. In May 2017, he was promoted to Fire Division Chief and then to Deputy Fire Chief in November 2020, responsible for department operations. Chief Tenger holds a Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Studies from CSU Long Beach. In addition, Chief Tenger recently completed the CSU San Marcos “Leadership North County” program in 2022. Chief Tenger shared, “I am humbled and honored to be trusted with the responsibility of leading the City of Escondido Fire Department. I am truly thankful for the support of the city manager, city council and all of my colleagues for their confidence in my ability to maintain the highest standards of excellence and professionalism that the City of Escondido Fire Department exemplifies.”
Chief Tenger’s salary will be $210,000.