City Manager David White has announced the appointment of Matthew Hallock to lead the Santa Monica Fire Department as its new chief. Hallock comes to Santa Monica from the city of Monterey Park, where he has served as fire chief since 2020.
Hallock brings 24 years of experience in public safety and emergency response, having begun his fire service career as a reserve firefighter in 1994, then returning as a firefighter in 2002 and rising through the ranks. He also has experience working in the private sector, spending four years as an emergency preparedness planner at Southern California Edison.
As chief in Monterey Park, he notably led his department and the community through the pandemic, as well as the tragic shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio.
“Chief Hallock showed outstanding leadership and compassion during his tenure in Monterey Park, shepherding the fire department and the entire community through two major crises,” White said in a statement. “And with his vast experience in emergency preparedness and response, I am confident he will be a tremendous asset to our city leadership team.”
The former Chief, Danny Alvarez, left Santa Monica in August of last year after less than two years in the position. Alvarez came to Santa Monica in January of 2022 from Burbank, where he had spent 25 years, and returned to that city to become their chief in August of 2023.
Wolfgang Knabe rejoined the City of Santa Monica as interim fire chief in September of 2023. Chief Knabe, a 43-year veteran of the fire service, retired as Fullerton/Brea’s fire chief in 2018. He previously served as Santa Monica’s interim fire chief from June 2021 to February 2022, and has also completed stints as interim fire chief in Manhattan Beach from July 2020 to June 2021, and interim deputy fire chief in Beverly Hills from March 2022 to August 2022.
"Santa Monica is known for its commitment to community safety, and I am honored to have the opportunity to lead the exceptional Fire Department team," Hallock said. "I look forward to building upon the department's strong foundation and working collaboratively with our community to ensure the highest level of emergency services."
Hallock has a master’s degree in public policy and administration from California State University, Long Beach and is a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer program through the U.S. Fire Administration’s National Fire Academy.
He will join the department on Feb. 12, with an annual salary of $303,588.
SMFD operates out of five stations and a Public Safety Facility that houses the Department’s Administrative Offices and Fire Prevention Division. The Fire Chief, two Deputy Chiefs, Training Chief, Fire Marshal, and three Battalion Chiefs are supported by over 136.9 personnel (122 sworn and 14.9 non-sworn). The Department had a total operating budget of $44,514,250 last year and responded to approximately 19,000 calls annually.
matt@smdp.com
