Assistant Fire Chief Tod Chambers has retired from Capital City Fire/Rescue effective July 1. His position will be filled by Captain Travis Mead, an 18 year veteran of CCFR.
Chambers joined the force in 2015 from the University Fire Department at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Chambers spoke highly of his Juneau colleagues, saying the capital city team was “fantastic” to work with.
“People here are dedicated,” Chambers said. “There’s a solid volunteer base and career guys who’ll come back in the middle of the night.”
“Juneau doesn’t have any help,” he said, comparing CCFR to the roughly 10 fire fighting organizations in Fairbanks. “This is what you got.”
Chambers said that he enjoyed working with the people of Juneau, both the citizens and the city employees, saying that Juneauites were “very appreciative” of the department’s work.
“He was fantastic to work with,” CCFR Chief Richard Etheridge said. “He brought a new perspective and made a lot of helpful changes.”
His replacement, Travis Mead, has been with CCFR since 2001 when he joined as a Firefighter/EMT. According to a press release, Mead has been a committed member of the department throughout his career.
“His passion and commitment to his craft are evident by his efforts with the Rope Rescue Team where he quickly rose from a team member to the team leader,” the release said.
In addition to his leadership of the Rope Team, Mead has served as CCFR’s Volunteer Coordinator and has been an active member of the local union, according to the press release.
Mead was awarded the Ken Akerly Fire Service Leadership Award given by the Alaska Department of Public Safety in 2015 and the Emery Valentine Leadership Award by CCFR in 2017.
“Throughout his career (Mead) has been very professional,” Etheridge said by phone. According to Etheridge, Mead has an excellent track record with the volunteer force and “has been setting himself up for this position for a long time.”
Mead is married to Juneau Superior Court Judge Amy Mead.
His promotion will be effective July 8.
Chambers will be returning to the Fairbanks area, where he began his career and where his children and grandchildren live. Chambers started his career as a volunteer firefighter at the North Pole Fire Department. Now, he’s joining the Fairbanks Fire Department as Assistant Chief.
“Take care of this fire department,” Chambers said, speaking generally. “They do everything they can. The people here are something else.”
