Fire Commander Quits for Menlo Park Post
The Valley Division commander of the Los Angeles City Fire Department has resigned to become chief of a firefighting unit serving three Northern California cities.
Jack Bennett, 53, of Northridge said Tuesday he accepted the job of director of fire service for the Menlo Park Fire Protection District after spending 31 years in the Los Angeles department.
Bennett said he will earn $65,000 a year under a two-year contract. His new duties, which start Aug. 1, will be to direct 101 firefighters in 17 square miles that include the cities of Menlo Park, Atherton and East Palo Alto in San Mateo County, Bennett said.
Bennett was in charge of day-to-day firefighting duties in the San Fernando Valley and commanded 360 firefighters, Fire Inspector Ed Reed said.
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