By FireRescue1 Staff
BROOKS, Calif. — The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation in California swore in its new fire chief on Thursday.
Yocha Dehe Fire Chief Rebecca Ramirez became the tribal department’s third fire chief, following Chief Gary Fredericksen’s retirement, according to a news release.
“We are pleased to have Chief Ramirez join as the next leader of our Yocha Dehe Fire Department,” said Tribal Chairman Anthony Roberts. “Our team has known Chief Ramirez for many years as an effective partner in firefighting in our region. Her depth of experience and exemplary career made her stand out as the right choice as YDFD’s new chief.”
Ramirez has worked in the fire service for nearly 30 years, beginning as a volunteer at the California Department of Forestry San Bernardino in 1991 and joining the City of West Sacramento Fire Department as its first female firefighter in 1993.
Ramirez served with the City of West Sacramento Fire Department for 24 years, rising the ranks to become deputy chief before being appointed as fire chief of the City of Woodland in 2017.
“I have worked with Chief Ramirez for the past 27 years,” said Fredericksen, who led YDFD since 2012. “She is a true leader and dedicated to the fire service in Yolo County.”
“The Yocha Dehe firefighters are a dedicated group of professionals with a strong commitment to the people they serve and to one another,” Ramirez said. “I am both privileged and honored to lead them and to serve under the progressive leadership of the Yocha Dehe Tribal Council.”