The San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department has selected a new chief, the department’s board announced this week.  

Deputy Chief Matt Turturici will assume his role as fire chief on Sunday, the board said. Fire Chief Kent Thrasher retired at the end of 2024 after being appointed to his position in 2022. 

Turturici has served as deputy chief since August 2021, according to the board, and has been in the field for more than 30 years. 

“With a wealth of experience across every role in the fire service, Matt brings exceptional operational expertise,” board chair Julia Mates said in a statement.  

Turturici will oversee a department budget of $52.6 million and a staff of 160, according to the board.  

The San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department serves San Mateo, Belmont and Foster City and was formed in 2019. 

Turturici said he is “humbled” by the trust he has been given and is positioned to prepare the department for the future.  

A San Carlos native, Turturici went to high school in San Mateo and lives in Brentwood.  

San Mateo Consolidated was among many Northern California fire contingents that sent staff and equipment down to Los Angeles County to battle the Palisades Fire.  

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.