Montecito’s fire chief is retiring at the end of the month, and another fire chief in Santa Barbara County is set to take his place.
David Neels has served as Montecito’s fire chief since 2023 and has 36 years of public safety service.
His firefighting career began with San Luis Obispo County Fire as a paid-call firefighter in 1989. He’s also worked for CAL FIRE San Luis Obispo and for 21 years with Santa Barbara County Fire…