Fremont Appoints New Fire Chief
FREMONT, Calif. - March 14, 2023 – Today, Fremont City Manager Karena Shackelford announced the appointment and promotion of Deputy Fire Chief Zoraida Diaz as Fremont’s next Fire Chief. Chief Diaz will officially begin her new role as Fremont Fire’s ninth Fire Chief and serve as the highest-ranking woman in the fire department’s history, effective April 7, 2023.
“I am pleased to announce Zoraida Diaz as Fremont’s next Fire Chief,” stated City Manager Karena Shackelford. “Zoraida has a broad and accomplished career, bringing a wealth of knowledge and professional experience from more than two decades in the fire service and 15 years working in social services. Zoraida will be an integral part of our City’s executive management team and is committed to building upon a legacy of excellence and leadership and is aligned with the City’s highest priorities.”
City Manager Shackelford didn’t have to look far to fill the executive role, as Diaz is currently the Fremont Fire Department’s Deputy Chief of Operations. In this capacity, Diaz has been responsible for a variety of complex work programs and has created effective working relationships within the fire department, as well as with partnering organizations such as local law enforcement and private ambulance agencies. Those relationships have resulted in enhanced service delivery to the community. Chief Diaz has also taken the lead in developing and implementing incident action plans for civil unrest, public safety power shutoff events, the COVID-19 pandemic and most recently, unprecedented weather events. Some of Diaz’s additional accomplishments include developing Special Operations Task Force redeployment plans based on analytics and collaboration between labor management and operations staff, revising the Fire Department’s Operations Policy section, and helping a team of employees to secure an Assistance to Firefighters Grant for Wellness and Fitness that established cancer and cardiac preventative health screenings. Chief Diaz is also a current member of Cohort X of the Fire Service Executive Institute, a highly competitive program developed by the International Association of Fire Chiefs to provide new and aspiring executive leaders with the tools necessary for a successful tenure.
Prior to working for the City of Fremont, Diaz spent 18 years with the City of Oakland, where she established her career in the fire service and promoted through the ranks, to Assistant Fire Chief. Bilingual in Spanish and English, Deputy Chief Diaz is a volunteer instructor and graduate of the prestigious Executive Development Institute (EDI), a five-year program focused on preparing members of the International Association of Black Professional Firefighters to become chief officers. Following college and prior to becoming a firefighter, she spent 15 years working as a social worker. Diaz continues to be involved in mentoring and teaching at the local and national level and is instrumental in the progression of recruitment initiatives.
Chief Diaz is proud to be named as the City’s first female Fire Chief and embraces her Afro-Latina heritage. “I am honored to be named Fremont’s next Fire Chief and my mission will be to cultivate a professional environment where civic, and employee pride promotes excellence in a workforce that values transparency, equity, inclusiveness and belonging. I am confident of my ability to advance this mission for our fire service professionals to thrive, improve proficiency, enhance their capacity to adapt and heighten organizational development,” stated Deputy Chief Zoraida Diaz. “I look forward to leading the Fremont Fire Department and its’ ongoing legacy as industry leaders regarding best practices, and we will continue to identify and implement innovative procedures to best serve the Fremont community.”
Chief Diaz attended The State University of New York at Albany where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Spanish and a Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling. A badge-pinning ceremony will be scheduled at a later date, which will be announced.
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 CONTACT :
Geneva Bosques
Director of Communications and Legislative Affairs
City of Fremont
510-284-4094
gbosques@fremont.gov
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