Stockton Fire Chief Richard Edwards has been chosen to lead the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District in Washoe County, Nevada.
The board of fire commissioners for the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District unanimously voted to appoint Edwards as the fire protection district’s next chief on May 5. He will replace former Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District Chief Charles Moore, who retired from service in January.
“I am honored and grateful for the trust put in me by the board of fire commissioners,” Edwards said. “I am excited to get to know the fire family at TMFPD and the community. There are many challenges facing the fire district, and I look forward to working alongside the dedicated chief officers and entire staff and getting down to work.”
Edwards has served as chief of the Stockton Fire Department since 2020. He joined the fire department in 2000 as a firefighter paramedic. He held the position for six years and then transitioned to firefighter engineer in 2006. Throughout the years, Edwards climbed the fire department’s ranks, serving as fire captain, battalion chief, fire marshal and deputy fire chief before being appointed to the department’s top post after former Stockton Fire Chief Erik Newman retired.
He holds an associate’s degree from Sierra College in business administration, a bachelor’s degree in emergency management from Waldorf University in Iowa, and a master’s degree from Waldorf in organizational leadership in public administration.
“We are thrilled to have Chief Edwards join us at Truckee Meadows Fire,” said Alexis Hill, chair of the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District. “Chief Edwards has a breadth of experience, serving in nearly every role in the fire service for one of the busiest fire departments on the West Coast. He has tackled similar challenges we are experiencing here locally, such as regional cooperation with our partner agencies and navigating difficult financial challenges. He has demonstrated the leadership, experience, and vision to take our fire district to the next level. We are extremely fortunate to have him.”
It is unclear when Edwards will begin his duties as chief of the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District. However, he recently said that he will step down as the head of the Stockton Fire Department on July 25. The city has not announced his replacement.
Edwards’ employment contract with the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District will be voted on by the board of fire commissioners in the coming weeks.
The annual salary range for the position is $205,732 to $312,000, depending on experience, qualifications and the status of an individual in the Public Employees’ Retirement System. As Stockton’s fire chief, Edwards was paid $226,269, plus benefits, in 2023, according to Transparent California, an online database of public employee salaries in the state.
Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Stockton Fire Chief Richard Edwards chosen to lead Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District
Reporting by Hannah Workman, The Stockton Record / The Record
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