SANTA FE, NM – Today, Santa Fe County announced the hiring of Jacob Black as the new County Fire Chief. Black is currently the Assistant Chief of Support Services with the County Fire Department and previously served as a Firefighter/Paramedic and Training Captain. He brings over 19 years of paid and volunteer fire experience to the role.

“I am honored and humbled to have been asked to lead our combination Fire Department,” Chief Black said. “I look forward to working with the entire department to meet the challenges that lie ahead, starting with the recruitment and retention of volunteer and paid staff alike.”

“The County is pleased to have hired its next Fire Chief from within,” County Manager Gregory S. Shaffer said. “Chief Black, who served as a volunteer firefighter with the Agua Fria Fire District, has made his career with us. I am confident in his ability to lead our combination Fire Department forward, as well as his long-term commitment to the job.”

Black, a two-time cancer survivor, completed his high school education from home. He then received his undergraduate degree in business administration from the University of New Mexico and an associate’s degree in paramedicine from the Santa Fe Community College. Currently, he is working on his master’s degree in Homeland Defense and Security at the Naval Post Graduate School. Upon completing his master's, he will resume the Executive Fire Officer Program through the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Black holds a number of firefighter and specialist certifications from the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC). He and his wife, Meghan, of nearly 14 years, have two school-aged children.

Black has previously served as a volunteer board member for the Children’s Cancer Fund of New Mexico and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Mexico.

“Our combination Fire Department requires both paid staff and volunteers working side-by-side as a unified team,” Black said. “Volunteering or working as a firefighter is one of the most meaningful and impactful ways to serve and protect our community. You can make a difference in someone's life every day, whether it be comforting them, saving their life, or protecting their home.”

To learn more about how to become a volunteer or paid firefighter, follow Santa Fe County FD on Facebook, Instagram or go to www.santafecountynm.gov/fire.

Black will assume his role as Fire Chief on December 3, 2022, at an annual salary of $114,400.