The city of Fresno appointed a new fire chief on Tuesday. Kerri Donis takes over the role after serving as interim fire chief since last June.
Donis has been with the Fresno Fire Department 18 years. She graduated Fresno State and was a softball player in the late 80s. Donis is now the city’s 15th fire chief and the first woman to ever hold the position.
Donis says her top goal is to make improvements around the department. She wants to increase firefighter staffing levels each day and upgrade their fleet of trucks and engines.
“To have Fresno be my starting point and move up through the ranks and now achieve the goal of being the fire chief is a blessing and an honor. This is my other family. This is my department,” said Kerri Donis, Fresno Fire Chief.
Former Fire Chief Rob Brown held the position for a little more than a year. He resigned last August amid domestic violence allegations.
Brown was arrested in June on accusations that he got into a physical fight with his wife and kids at their home. Brown was never convicted. He wound up taking a plea deal to avoid jail time and was given three years probation.