Chief Biographies

DAN MUNSEY

Position: Fire Chief/Fire Warden

Biography: Chief Munsey began his career in 1995 as a paid-call firefighter serving the community of Yucca Valley and quickly decided to a pursue a career as a full-time firefighter shortly thereafter. In 1998, Munsey joined our fire department as a full-time firefighter/paramedic. Since then, Chief Munsey has enjoyed a diverse career including executive leadership and management experiences in both the rural and metropolitan fire service communities which includes having worked in every division of San Bernardino County Fire.

Chief Munsey holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and holds multiple Incident Command System (ICS) certifications. Munsey has completed many specialized leadership-training courses, including the California Special Districts Association Leadership Academy and the San Bernardino County Management and Leadership Academy; a program that provides comprehensive management and leadership training to county employees. Chief Munsey is one of few fire chiefs in California who possesses a Center for Public Excellence Chief Fire Officer credential and a California State Fire Marshal Chief Fire Officer certificate. Currently Chief Munsey is halfway through the four-year National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program.

In addition to Chief Munsey’s service to San Bernardino County, he is the president of the California Fire Chiefs Association Operations Section and is the chair of the International Fire Chiefs Association Technology Council Communications and Data section. He is also a member of the National Fire Protection Agency Forum and has instructed dozens of Fire Service, NIMS, and Incident Command Systems courses throughout his career. Munsey enjoys speaking about his command experiences, leadership, and the use of emerging technology in the fire service at conferences around the nation.

Chief Munsey believes strongly in being active and involved in community service, ensuring department diversity, hiring from our communities, and working in collaboration with other agencies to ensure public safety. Dan Munsey became Fire Chief of the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District on November 20, 2019.

TOM MARSHALL

Position: Deputy Chief of Operations

Biography: Chief Marshall proudly served in the U.S. Marine Corp prior to starting his fire service career in 1990. Marshall has over 29 years of experience in the fire service, starting off as a volunteer firefighter. He began his full-time career as a Firefighter with the Fort Irwin Fire Department, crossing over to County Fire as an Engineer in 1998. Since then, Marshall has worked his way through the ranks, promoting to Captain in 2001, Battalion Chief in 2014 and Assistant Chief in 2016. Marshall has served on the USAR team and has been proactive on numerous committees.

Chief Marshall has served in every division of the District and is familiar with the unique and diverse needs of the respective divisions. He has served on a Type II Incident Management Team since 2002, responding to hundreds of large-scale emergency incidents.

Marshall is a qualified California State Fire Marshal (CSFM) instructor and holds CSFM Fire and Chief Officer certificates. Marshall is a qualified California State Fire Marshal (CSFM) instructor, holds CSFM Fire and Chief Officer certificates, possesses an associate degree in fire science, and is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree.

Chief Marshall and his wife Amy have two grown children. In their leisure time, they enjoy boating, off-roading, travelling and spending quality time with their family.

JEFF BIRCHFIELD

Position: Assistant Chief, Division 1

Biography: Assistant Chief Birchfield is responsible for rescue operations, fire and emergency medical response in the Valley region; a region that encompasses the western half of the San Bernardino Valley.

Birchfield began his fire service career in 1991 as a paid-call firefighter for Station 37 in Mountain View Acres. He worked as a seasonal firefighter for the Bureau of Land Management on helicopter crew 554 in 1992, and then worked as a firefighter at Ft. Irwin Fire Department prior to coming to County Fire as an Engineer.

In 2000, Birchfield accepted a position with Redondo Beach Fire Department as a firefighter/paramedic. In 2005 he returned to County Fire and spent the next eight years as a Captain assigned to various stations throughout the county including the Training Division. In 2013, Birchfield promoted to Battalion Chief assigned to Division 2 where he has helped secure additional grant funds for the department, performed as an expert witness on multiple cases involving vehicle collisions, and sits as Vice Chair on the FIRESCOPE Task Force

Throughout his career, Assistant Chief Birchfield has actively pursued higher education and training. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Management from Azusa Pacific University and graduated from the County’s Management Leadership Academy in 2012.

Jeff resides in Upland with his wife and two children. He enjoys traveling, boating, and golf when he’s not watching his children at their events.

DAN MEJIA

Position: Assistant Chief, Division 2

Biography: Assistant Chief Dan Mejia is responsible for fire, rescue and emergency medical response in the East Valley region; a region that encompasses the eastern half of the San Bernardino Valley.

Mejia began his fire service career in 1987 as a firefighter in Lake Arrowhead Fire District. In his 32 years, he was worked in all suppression divisions of County Fire. He promoted to Captain in 2000 and was assigned to the Richard Sewell Training Center; where he was responsible for promotional testing and training new recruits. Mejia worked nine years in Fontana before promoting to Battalion Chief in 2013 and Assistant Chief in 2017.

Assistant Chief Mejia holds an Associate of Science degree in Fire Science from Crafton Hills College. He attended the County’s Management Leadership Academy in 2011. He was a member of the Urban Search and Rescue Team until 2013.

KATHLEEN OPLIGER

Position: Assistant Chief, Division 3

Biography: Assistant Chief Opliger’s fire service career began in 1988, when serving as a Paid-Call Firefighter with the Idyllwild Fire Protection District. In 1989, she went to work for the U.S. Forest Service, San Bernardino National Forest, where she served for 17 years, working her way up through each of the ranks from Hotshot Crew Firefighter to Engine Captain, concluding her forest service career as an Interim Battalion Chief position serving in both Operations and Training.

In 2005, Chief Opliger came to work for the San Bernardino County Fire Department as a Battalion Chief, serving Division 1 (Valley) and Division 4 (South Desert region). She promoted to Assistant Chief in 2013, overseeing Division 3 (Mountain region). In March of 2019, Chief Opliger took on the interim Deputy Chief of Operations role for 15 months.

For more than a decade, Chief Opliger participated on both Type 1 and 2 Incident Management Teams (IMT) as a Division Supervisor, Operations Branch Director, and Operations Section Chief. During this assignment, she responded to many large and devastating wildfires and all-risk incidents throughout the U.S. and Canada, most notably to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Chief Opliger serves as the Incident Commander of the department’s IMT. Under her command, the IMT led the County’s region-wide Covid-19 response; representing 25 Fire & EMS agencies to ensure uninterrupted fire and EMS service delivery county-wide.

Chief Opliger lives in Yucaipa with her husband Rocky and their three Labradors. Kathleen and Rocky have two grown children, Brandon, who is a firefighter with the Orange County Fire Authority and Erin, who serves the department as our GIS Specialist. Kathleen & Rocky enjoy spending time on their fishing boat out of Mission Bay, and in Lake Havasu City boating, water skiing, and fishing.

RONALD WALLS

Position: Assistant Chief, Division 4

Biography: Assistant Chief Ron Walls is responsible for rescue operations, fire and emergency medical response in the South Desert region which incorporates vast deserts, Joshua Tree National Park, and mountain ranges.

Assistant Chief Walls began his emergency services career in 1983 as a U.S. Army rescue climber and combat medic. After his honorable discharge from the military he moved to Southern California and began civilian training for a career in fire service. His fire service career began as a Firefighter/Paramedic for the Hesperia Fire Department in 1988.

He advanced through the ranks to the position of Fire Captain and transitioned to the San Bernardino County Fire Department in 2004. He spent several years as a County Fire Captain before being promoted to Battalion Chief. He has two Bachelor’s Degrees in Business and a Master’s Degree in Leadership and Management from the University of La Verne.

Over the last 9 years, Chief Walls has worked assignments in every division in the county as a Battalion Chief for County Fire. He has been responsible for the CISM/Peer Support/Chaplain team for the department, functioned as the Operations Chief for the San Bernardino Regional Emergency Training Center (Aircraft Rescue Firefighting School), functioned as the HIPAA compliance Privacy Officer for the Department, and served as the department representative to the California Incident Command Certification System Level 200 committee.

Chief Walls also has extensive background and training in trauma care and enhanced threat scenarios including over 30 years experience as the coordinator for Loma Linda University’s International Trauma Life Support Program.

He has been a part of many large scale incidents including the 2003 Old Fire, the 2007 Slide Fire, the Dorner Incident, and most recently was deployed as a part of County Fire’s Type 3 Incident Management team to the Inland Regional Center Terrorist Attack.

Chief Walls has managed several large projects including the transition and annexation of Crest Forest Fire Department into the County Fire Protection District, management of several Capital Improvement Projects such as the revitalization of Fire Station 91/Division 4 Headquarters building, the development and deployment of the Mountain CERT team, and the development of the Division 4 Zone Operations Center (ZOC).

DAVE CORBIN

Position: Assistant Chief, Division 5 & Division 6

Biography: Chief Corbin began his career in the fire service in 1989 with the Upland Fire Department, promoting through the ranks from Firefighter to Engineer, Captain, Battalion Chief, Deputy Chief of Operations, and Interim Fire Chief. From 2014 through 2016 Upland and Montclair Fire Departments merged command staff with Chief Corbin serving as Deputy Chief of Operations and Interim Chief of both departments.

Chief Corbin came to County Fire as part of the Upland annexation in July 2017 and served as a Captain in the City of Fontana prior to being promoted to Division Chief of Administration in December 2017. He has been a Hazardous Materials Specialist since 1991 and holds a State of California Chief Officer Certification.

Corbin and his wife Kathy reside in Corona and have raised three kids: daughter Caitlin and twin sons Josh and Jake.

MIKE HORTON

Position: Fire Marshal, Division 12

Biography: Fire Marshal Mike Horton is responsible for the Fire Prevention, Hazardous Materials CUPA Program and Household Hazardous Waste divisions within San Bernardino County Fire; which encompasses the entire unincorporated San Bernardino County Fire Protection District area including several contract cities and districts. Assigned to the Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM), Horton leads an office that provides oversight and implementation of all regulatory inspection and planning programs, public education and special events, manages the CUPA for the entire county and the cities within, provides emergency response to Haz-Mat related incidents, and conducts fire investigations.

Fire Marshal Horton began his fire service career as a Firefighter with the City of Norco Fire Department in 1980. He promoted to the position of Captain in 1985 with the State of California and eventually to Chief Officer in 1999 after relocating to the bay area in San Jose. In 2001 Mike returned to Riverside County Fire Department accepting a position with the City of Temecula in Fire Prevention. In 2006, Mike became the Deputy Fire Marshal of the Community Safety Division for San Bernardino County Fire Department. Horton continues to be the Lead Fire Service Ladder Instructor for Crafton Hills Fire Academy and has taught ladders for over 13 years.

Horton holds several California State Fire Marshal certifications. He has completed two levels of the County’s Management Leadership Academy including the management development program in 2009 and the executive development program in 2011.