The City of Ventura has appointed Assistant Fire Chief Kris McDonald to serve as Interim Fire Chief following the retirement of Fire Chief Dave Endaya on December 19, 2025. Chief McDonald will begin his interim role on December 20 and will serve throughout the recruitment process for a permanent Fire Chief.
Chief Endaya retires after decades of dedicated public service, including more than 10 years leading the Ventura Fire Department.
As Assistant Chief McDonald currently oversees key operational functions within the Ventura Fire Department and brings broad experience across multiple areas of fire service leadership. He has previously served in several command and training roles, supporting department operations, personnel development, and emergency response readiness. Regionally, he also holds multiple qualifications within California’s Incident Command System that strengthen the City’s capabilities during large-scale incidents…