March 5, 2026

MONTECITO, CA – Montecito Fire Chief David Neels has announced his upcoming retirement at the end of March, after 36 years of dedicated service to public safety. Chief Neels has served as Montecito Fire Chief since 2023. His last day as Fire Chief will be March 31, 2026.

Chief Neels began his firefighting career in 1989 as a paid-call firefighter for San Luis Obispo County Fire. He also worked as a seasonal firefighter for Cal Fire San Luis Obispo while earning his bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Neels went on to complete paramedic school and worked as an ambulance paramedic before joining Santa Barbara County Fire Department in 1998.

Over his 21-year career with Santa Barbara County Fire, he promoted through the ranks of firefighter/paramedic, engineer, captain and battalion chief. He was instrumental in founding the Santa Barbara County Firefighters Benevolent Foundation, an organization that provides financial relief for firefighters and their families after line-of-duty incidents and supports the overall wellbeing of Santa Barbara County firefighters. He was also responsible for writing and implementing the first Community Wildfire Protection Plan in the County of Santa Barbara for the Mission Canyon community, setting an industry standard of creating specialized plans for areas vulnerable to severe wildfire impacts.

In 2019, Chief Neels joined Montecito Fire Department as a battalion chief. He was promoted to Division Chief of Operations in 2021 and was appointed to lead the department in 2023.

“Chief Neels devoted his entire professional life to serving the community,” said Montecito Fire Protection District Board President Peter Van Duinwyk. “We are grateful for his leadership and service to the Montecito community over the last six years. My fellow Board members and I congratulate him on a well-earned retirement.” 

Throughout his career, Chief Neels has been an engaged partner and respected leader locally and regionally. He served on federal Incident Management Teams for over 15 years, responding to major incidents across the western United States. He led the All-Hazard Incident Management Team for Santa Barbara County as Incident Commander and served as president of the Fire Chiefs Association of Santa Barbara County.

“Partnership and collaboration have been central to every success I’ve been fortunate to experience in my career,” Neels said. “This job has afforded me with invaluable opportunities to work alongside countless first responders and regardless of the patch on our uniform, we’ve worked together to take care of our community.”

In retirement, Chief Neels looks forward to spending more time with his wife and three children.

Chief Neels informed the Board of Directors in October 2025 of his intention to retire in the spring. After a thorough recruitment process, the Board extended a conditional offer of employment to Brian Fallon to serve as Fire Chief of the Montecito Fire Department, subject to the completion of a standard pre-employment process. Fallon brings decades of fire service leadership experience to Montecito, most recently serving as Fire Chief of Lompoc City Fire Department. Chief Neels and Fallon are working together to support a smooth transition. Pending successful completion of the pre-employment process, Fallon will begin as Fire Chief on April 1, 2026.

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