Meet South County's New Fire Chief

Division Chief Kirk Wells has been named Mission Viejo’s Chief of Fire Services and will manage the Division 3 Office of the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA).  He began his new position last week, replacing Division Chief Rick Robinson who recently retired.

Division 3 includes Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Aliso Viejo, San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente and Dana Point.

Chief Wells comes to the post with nearly 30 years of experience and a diverse background in fire service.  He began his career as a volunteer firefighter with the Orange County Fire Department.  Throughout his career, Chief Wells has worked as a firefighter, paramedic, captain and battalion chief.  His recent responsibilities include managing OCFA’s Battalion 8 (Buena Park, La Palma, Cypress, and Stanton), Office of Community Volunteer Services, and Battalion 9 (Santa Ana).  Chief Wells is happy to serve this community.

“I am excited about my new position and am looking forward to serving the residents of Mission Viejo,” he said.  “The Orange County Fire Authority has provided quality service to the City since its beginning and I look forward to continuing our great relationship.”

Chief Wells holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Fire Administration from California State University, Los Angeles, and has recently completed the 4-year Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy in Emmetsburg, Maryland.  He also holds numerous certifications for Incident Management positions and serves on an OCFA Incident Management Team and a Federal Incident Management Team.

Along with devoting much to his position, Chief Wells also finds the time to give back through charitable efforts within the OCFA.  For more than two decades, he has been on the board of directors for the OCFA Benevolent Association and has lent his efforts to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, United Way, American Red Cross, Boy Scouts of America, the Raise Foundation, and several others.

Chief Wells lives in Tustin with his wife and three children and is active in the community – participating in charity work and coaching youth sports teams.  In his free time, he also enjoys sports, woodworking, traveling and playing music.