Chief Biographies

MARK A. HARTWIG

Position: Fire Chief/Fire Warden

Biography: Fire Chief/Fire Warden Mark Hartwig took the helm as San Bernardino County Fire Department’s Fire Chief in April 2011.

Starting in 2005, Chief Hartwig served six years with the Rancho Cucamonga Fire Protection District, promoting to the rank of Deputy Chief. Prior to that, he served with County Fire, starting as an extra-help firefighter in 1992 and working his way to the rank of captain, serving as the department’s Emergency Medical Services supervisor and training officer.

During his career, Hartwig has developed an expertise in emergency medical services and most recently has been working closely with the California Fire Chiefs Association to help develop a response to the state’s proposed regulations diluting local control of emergency medical services. He serves as president of the California Fire Chiefs Association Emergency Medical Services Section and is an advisory board member for both the Loma Linda University Emergency Medical Care Program and the Victor Valley Community College Paramedic Academy. In December 2012, Chief Hartwig was appointed to the California Commission on Emergency Medical Services.

Chief Hartwig has a Masters Degree in Emergency Services Administration, Bachelor Degrees in Zoology and Emergency Medical Care, and Associate Degrees in Paramedic Studies and Fire Administration, and numerous certifications in fire studies.

DON TRAPP

Position: Deputy Fire Chief

Biography: Deputy Chief Don Trapp is responsible for overseeing all fire suppression, emergency medical services, and rescue operations. Deputy Chief Trapp became interested in the fire service right out of high school and became a Paid-Call Firefighter for the California Department of Forestry in Temecula. Deputy Chief Trapp began his full-time fire service career with San Bernardino County Fire in 1989 assigned to Fontana. He has diligently worked his way through the ranks and was promoted in March 2012 to Division Chief of the High Desert Division (Division 3), 2 years later to Assistant Chief, and promoted to Deputy Fire Chief in 2016.

Throughout Deputy Chief Trapp’s career in County Fire, he has remained heavily involved in the communities we serve. He has served on the Emergency Medical Services committee, and co-chaired both the Operations Leadership Team and the Hiring, Testing & Development committees.

Deputy Chief Trapp and his wife Sheila are committed to their family and community. They cherish their family time most and love to explore new places.

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 MUNSEY

Position: Assistant Chief, Division 2

Biography: Assistant Chief Dan Munsey is responsible for rescue operations, fire and emergency medical response in the High Desert region, the largest of the five regions served by San Bernardino County Fire.

Assistant Chief Dan Munsey began his career in the fire service in 1995 as a Paid-Call Firefighter. He became a full-time firefighter in 1998, where he was assigned to Lake Arrowhead. He has worked in every division of County Fire, promoting to Captain in 2004, Battalion Chief in 2008, and Assistant Chief in March 2014.

Assistant Chief Munsey holds a Masters in Public Administration with an emphasis on business and government and a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from Grand Canyon University. He has also earned an associate’s degree in business administration and in fire technology. In 2013, Chief Munsey graduated from the Management & Leadership Academy; a County program that provides comprehensive management and leadership training to county employees. Participants gain theoretical and practical knowledge of public service management and leadership practices, with specific emphasis on understanding their application within San Bernardino County.

Chief Munsey and his wife Amanda have four children and reside in Yucca Valley. They are avid Angel’s fans and enjoy the outdoors.

KATHLEEN OPLIGER

Position: Assistant Chief, Division 3

Biography: Assistant Chief Kathleen Opliger is responsible for rescue operations, fire and emergency medical response in the Mountain region, an area that covers over 600 square miles of vegetation-covered mountains, foothills, and valleys.

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 several years, working her way up through each of the ranks from Hotshot Crew Firefighter to Engine Captain. Opliger temporarily served as a Battalion Chief 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 5 (South Desert). For more than a decade, Chief Opliger participated on incident management teams 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 lives in Cherry Valley with her husband Rocky and their four Labradors. Kathleen and Rocky have two grown children, Brandon, who is a firefighter on the Palomar Hotshot Crew, and Erin who recently graduated from U.C. Santa Barbara. Kathleen & Rocky enjoy spending time in Lake Havasu City boating, water skiing, and fishing.

TOM MARSHALL

Position: Assistant Chief, Division 4

Biography: Assistant Chief Tom Marshall is responsible for fire and emergency medical response, and rescue operations in the South Desert region; a region that encompasses many different aspects of terrain and topography that draw visitors from around the world to the eastern Mojave Desert, from Yucca Valley and the Joshua Tree National Park to the Colorado River. This division also neighbors the U.S. Marine Corps Air/Combat Training Center in Twenty-Nine Palms. Division 5 includes the City of Needles and the communities of Havasu Lake and Big River drawing millions of visitors each year for river and lake front recreation.

After exiting the Marine Corps in 1990, Division Chief Marshall began his fire service career as a volunteer with the Newberry Springs Fire Department. In 1993 he was hired as a full-time firefighter with the Fort Irwin Fire Department. He started his career with San Bernardino County Fire in 1998 as an Engineer, was promoted to Captain in 2001, and in 2014 was promoted to Battalion Chief.

Assistant Chief Marshall has served in every county fire division over the last 18 years of his career. He currently serves on Southern California Incident Management Team 1, and has served as the division supervisor and safety officer on the team for the last 10 years.

Assistant Chief Marshall and wife of 24 years, Amy, have two children; daughter Kelsey who is in Georgia after serving in the Army, and son Garrett who is in the Air Force stationed in Texas.

RONALD WALLS

Position: Assistant Chief, Division 5

Biography: Assistant Chief Ron Walls is responsible for rescue operations, fire and emergency medical response in the North Desert region which incorporates vast deserts, national forests, 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).

DAN MEJIA

Position: Assistant Chief, Division 6

Biography: Assistant Chief Mejia began his career with the San Bernardino Fire Agency in 1987 as a firefighter in Lake Arrowhead. He was promoted to Engineer with SBCoFD in 1993, to Captain in 2000, promoted to Battalion Chief in 2013, and Assistant Chief in 2017. Mejia has served in all facets of County Fire and has been a member of the Urban Search and Rescue team since 2004. He holds an Associate of Science degree in Fire Science from Crafton Hills College.

TIM PORTER

Position: Assistant Chief, Division 11

Biography: Division Chief Porter has over 25 years of fire service experience beginning in 1991 with the Victorville Fire Department. In July 2008 he was brought over as a Captain to the San Bernardino County Fire Department after the City of Victorville transitioned to a service contract for county-provided fire protection. He was then promoted to Battalion Chief in March 2015, serving within Division 3 (High Desert Division) which includes communities of Victorville, Spring Valley Lake, Adelanto, Silver Lakes, Helendale, and the Southern California Logistics Airport.

As Division Chief of Administration, Porter oversees support services (warehouse, vehicle services, fleet management), bid transfers, management of the hiring/testing recruitment process, and special projects.

MIKE HORTON

Position: Fire Marshal

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.

MIKE ANTONUCCI

Position: Emergency Services Manager

Biography: Mike Antonucci serves as the manager of the San Bernardino County Fire Department Office of Emergency Services (County OES).

Antonucci has over 40 years of fire service experience and has been an indispensable member of the Urban Search and Rescue community for over 15 years.

He started his career as a firefighter in Northern California and has occupied every fire service-related position at least once since then.

Prior to joining County OES in 2012, Antonucci served as Fire Chief for the Upland Fire Department, retiring in 2012. He also served in the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services as Assistant Chief for Emergency Management & Disaster Services prior to becoming the Fire Chief for the California City Fire Department where he served for 8 years.

Antonucci holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science in Public Administration, is actively involved with the California Fire Chiefs' Association, and founded the CFEDWEST (California Fire, EMS and Disaster Educational Foundation) annual conference in Palm Springs, California nine years ago.

JOHN CHAMBERLIN

Position: Deputy Chief of Administration 

Biography: Deputy Chief John Chamberlin is responsible for overseeing human resources, day-to-day fiscal operations, and special projects.

Assistant Chief John Chamberlin began his full time career with San Bernardino County Fire with the contracting of services for the City of Adelanto in September 1999, as a Firefighter/Paramedic. Prior to this, he served as both a Fire Dispatcher and Paid-Call Firefighter for both the County of San Bernardino and City of Victorville.

During his time with the County Fire, Chamberlin worked his way through the ranks becoming a Captain in 2004, Battalion Chief in 2013, Division Chief in 2015, and Assistant Chief in 2016. Chamberlin has served on various committees and special projects including oversight of the Fire Suppression component of the department’s Hazardous Materials Response Team and its nearly 60 members. He is also an active member of the department’s Urban Search and Rescue Team – RTF 6.

Chamberlin is currently assigned to Southern California Incident Management Team 1 in the Logistics Section and is qualified as a Type 2 Safety Officer, Type 3 Division Supervisor and Incident Commander, Operations Section Chief, and Logistics Section Chief. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration, a double Associate of Science in Fire Technology and Paramedic Studies, and received his Chief Officer Certification from the California State Fire Marshal. Chief Chamberlin is currently attending the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program in Emmittsburg, Maryland.

Chief Chamberlin lives in Beaumont with his wife Krystal and has 3 children, daughters Gabryelle and Reilly and son Nick. John enjoys golf, bowling and riding his Harley Davidson.

Updated February 2017