BOB COUNTS

Assistant Chief - Eastern Division

As the Assistant Chief for the NEU/PCFD East Division, Chief Counts will oversee 3 Field Battalions and Operations for northern and eastern Placer County CAL FIRE jurisdictions.  In this assignment, Chief Counts will also oversee the Placer Fire Crew Center in Christian Valley, the City of Colfax FD, and Placer County Fire Department Operations in Bowman, Colfax, Dutch Flat, and Alta.  This expansive Division includes the Interstate 80 corridor, Foresthill Divide, the Truckee Basin and North Lake Tahoe.

Chief Counts is a 29-year veteran of the fire service.  He started his career with CAL FIRE in the Amador El Dorado Unit as a Firefighter 1 and promoted through the ranks as an Engineer and Fire Captain working in a variety of assignments including the Cameron Park Fire Department Cooperative Agreement, the Camino Emergency Command 9-11 Center, and Stations in central and northern El Dorado County.  In 2014, Chief Counts promoted to Battalion Chief in the CAL FIRE/Cameron Park FD contract, supervising Paramedic Engine and Ambulance transport operations as well as planning and engineering for the district.  In 2017, Bob transferred to the Georgetown Divide where he oversaw fire protection and prevention operations for Northern El Dorado County.  In 2019, Chief Counts transferred to the Nevada Yuba Placer Unit and the Placer County Fire Department in Battalion 17.  In this capacity, Bob has led the men and women of CAL FIRE/PCFD assigned to protect the greater unincorporated Western Placer County rea, the Sunset Industrial area, and has overseen the valuable relationship between Placer County Fire and the UAIC at Thunder Valley Resort and Casino.

Chief Counts has committed himself to multiple disciplines within our Incident Management Team system in CAL FIRE.  He is qualified and has functioned as a Type I Finance Section Chief and currently serves as the Type I Incident Commander trainee on CAL FIRE Team 4.

Bob is a cadre and committee member within our agency and has served as a member of the CAL FIRE ECC Academy, the California ROSS Cadre, C-300 and C-400 Incident Command and teaches USFA All Hazards Incident Management.  Chief Counts is a standing member of the CAL FIRE Advanced All Hazards Incident Management (AAIM) cadre, certifying team members from across the nation in Type I Incident Management.

Bob and his family are longtime residents of Lincoln, and I am very proud to welcome him to the Executive Staff of the CAL FIRE Nevada Yuba Placer Unit and the Placer County Fire Department.