Contra Costa County has a new fire chief, and he is already a familiar face inside one of the Bay Area’s largest public safety agencies.
The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors has appointed Aaron McAlister as Fire Chief of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, better known as Con Fire.
McAlister has served with the district since 2016 and most recently worked as Deputy Fire Chief of Administration, overseeing areas including communications and fire dispatch, information systems, support services, finance, and human resources.
Before that, McAlister served as Assistant Fire Chief, where county officials say he played a major role in strengthening the district’s operational readiness, facilities, staffing, and regional coordination.
In other words, this is not someone new to the organization. It is a promotion from inside the command structure of a district that has been growing, consolidating, and taking on more regional responsibility in recent years.
McAlister replaces former Fire Chief Lewis Broschard, who retired in March after more than 30 years in the fire service, including 18 years with Con Fire. Broschard briefly returned in an interim capacity to help maintain leadership continuity during the transition.
The appointment puts McAlister in charge of a massive emergency response operation. Con Fire provides fire protection and emergency medical services to more than 790,000 residents across 13 cities and 11 unincorporated communities in Contra Costa County.
The district’s footprint includes everything from dense urban areas to industrial corridors to wildfire-prone neighborhoods, making the job much more complicated than simply running fire stations. The next phase for the district includes continued work on wildfire mitigation, emergency medical services, staffing, dispatch, facilities, and the long-running process of integrating previously separate fire service areas.
McAlister has already been involved in several of those efforts. During his time with Con Fire, he helped lead major district advancements including the annexation of the East Contra Costa and Rodeo-Hercules fire districts, as well as the service contract with the City of Pinole. He also supported expanded firefighting resources, staffing, facilities, emergency services, and wildfire mitigation work, including efforts connected to the formation of more than 40 Firewise communities.
McAlister also has prior chief-level experience. Before joining Con Fire, he served as Fire Chief for the City of Dixon.
The county says the cost of the position for the remainder of the fiscal year is approximately $79,324, with the total ongoing cost projected at $634,595 annually. Funding for the position is included in the district’s operating budget.
For residents, the leadership change comes at a high-stakes moment. Contra Costa County’s fire service landscape has changed dramatically in recent years, with major annexations, station and staffing issues, ambulance service questions, and growing wildfire risk all shaping what residents expect from local emergency services.
McAlister said he is grateful for the Board’s confidence and honored to serve as Fire Chief.
