Alpine got its new fire chief before the mountain town rang in the year 2020.
Brian Boggeln, an Alpine Fire Protection District Division Chief for the past year, started his new role as Fire Chief Dec. 31. The fire district's board of directors in late December named Boggeln to follow longtime Chief Bill Paskle.
Boggeln, 43, has been working for the fire district for 22 years, starting a Firefighter/Cadet then Fire Captain for 13 years before his current Division Chief role. His salary, currently $125,000, will rise $140,000 to run the 16-member Alpine fire district.
"The choice was easy due to Mr. Boggeln's education and background with over 22 years in the fire service," Board President Jim Easterling said. "The board looks forward to working with him on all the district's future endeavors."
Boggeln has been living in Alpine since 1997. Married with two high school-age children, he said that one of the things that makes Alpine special is "everybody knows everybody."
"When you live in a community and work in a community, you see everything that is going on," he said. "It's a great place to live and work, it really is."
But he said that cozy, small-town feel also has its downside, like during the 2018 West Fire, which destroyed 39 homes and 29 other buildings with nearly two dozen other residences damaged. Firefighters knew most of those individuals whose structures were lost or damaged.
"We take it personally when you lose a house," Boggeln said. "And we lost a few."
Boggeln is a 1994 graduate of San Pasqual High in Escondido, and his first job in the fire industry was volunteering during high school for the San Pasqual Volunteer Fire Department.
He has an associate degree in Fire Science from Miramar College, and is currently completing a bachelor degree in Fire and Emergency Services Administration at Colorado State University. Boggeln is a California State Fire Marshal Certified Chief Officer and maintains his license as a Paramedic.
He was hired as an intern with the Alpine fire department in 1997 and says he was "at the right place at the right time" when the district offered him a job.
Boggeln said he shadowed Paskle for the past year and "got some good on-the-job training."
"I'm looking forward to continuing what he's done over the last 12 years," Boggeln said. "He's done a great job and we have a good staff here. I am fortunate and grateful to have the opportunity to serve as the next fire chief of the district in continuing our mission of serving the community of Alpine."
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