Chief LutkeyThere have been numerous Oakland Fire Department Chiefs over the years. As political appointees, most had a relatively short tenure, and were replaced when the next mayor came into office. 1 Notable exceptions include Nicholas Ball (1898-1915), William Lutkey (1927-1947), and James Sweeney, Jr. (1955-1973).

Samuel Golden was the first black fire chief in Oakland, and Teresa Deloach Reed, the current chief, is the first woman fire chief in Oakland.

  • J. C. Halley (1869)
  • John Nalley (1869-1870)
  • Miles Doody (1870-1872)
  • George Taylor (1872-1874)
  • Mathew de la Montanya (1874-1877)
  • James Hall (1878-1883)
  • James Moffitt (1883-1899)
  • James F. Kennedy (1889-1893)
  • Elburton B. Lawton (1893-1896)
  • William H. Fair (1896-1898)
  • Nicholas A. Ball (1898-1915)
  • Elliott Whitehead (1915-1921)
  • Samuel H. Short (1921-1927)
  • William G. Lutkey (1927-1947)
  • James H. Burke (1947-1955)
  • James J. Sweeney, Jr. (1955-1972)
  • Stephen L. Menitti (1972-1976)
  • William Moore (1976-1980)
  • Walter Pierson (interim) (1980)
  • Samuel Golden (1980-1986)
  • Godwin Taylor (1986-1991)
  • P. Lamont Ewell (1991-1996)
  • John K. Baker (1996-1999)
  • Gerald Simon (1999-2004)
  • Daniel Farrell (interim, 2004; 2005-2008)
  • Gerald Simon (2009-2011)
  • Mark Hoffman (interim) (2011-2012)
  • Teresa Deloach Reed (2012-2017)
  • Reginald Freeman (2021-2023)
  • Damon Covington (2023-present)

Links and References

  1. Oakland Fire Department by Captain Geoffrey Hunter, Arcadia Publishing

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