David Foster hired as new Victorville fire chief, 6th leader in 5 years

Fire Chief David Foster will take command of the Victorville Fire Department on Monday, according to city leaders.

Foster will be the city’s sixth fire chief since April 2018, when former chief Greg Benson was hired for the position.

Foster has more than 40 years of fire service experience, including the last two decades serving as chief of the Village Fire Department in Houston, Texas.

Before Houston, Foster was the fire chief for the Dekalb County Fire Department, which serves a population of more than one million people in the Atlanta metro area.

Foster also assisted with the development of a new fire department in the Omaha, Nebraska area. The department became operational within 30 days and was given federal awards of merit, according to the City of Victorville.

“Very rarely do fire chiefs get the chance to be part of building a new fire department,” Foster said in a written statement. “I look forward to helping Victorville Fire progress to the next level. I’m very excited for this opportunity and look forward to serving with the men and women of the department to provide safety services for the Victorville community.”

Foster's experience includes operations and command levels in fire suppression and prevention, emergency medical services, advanced life support and transport, emergency response management, and hazardous materials.

“We selected David because of his breadth and depth of experience leading both large and small fire departments,” Victorville City Manager Keith Metzler said. “We are confident David is the right person to lead Victorville Fire through the next phase of its development as a relatively new fire department.”     

Foster was born and raised in Burbank. He first joined the fire service as a firefighter in the Air Force, where he served for four years. His first civilian fire experience was as a firefighter in Palmdale.

Education, experience

Foster holds a bachelor’s degree from Bellevue University in Bellevue, Nebraska. He also earned an executive fire officer degree from the National Fire Academy, an invitation-only master’s degree course completed by just a portion of active fire chiefs in the country.

Foster’s commendations include the Air Force Commendation Medal, Georgia Fire Administrator of the Year Award, Georgia EMS Director of the Year Award, and DeKalb County Medal of Honor.

He is an active volunteer and serves on the boards of two nonprofits focused on bringing medical care to underprivileged individuals in the U.S. and other nations.

Fire chief revolving door

Foster will assume command from Interim Fire Chief William “Willie” Racowschi, who has served the department since December 2022.

Racowschi replaced outgoing Chief Brian Fallon, who was appointed chief of the Lompoc City Fire Department on the Central Coast, the Daily Press reported.

In June 2022, then-VFD Battalion Chief Fallon was promoted to fire chief, taking over for Fire Chief Jeff Armstrong, who announced his resignation in May of that year.

Fallon joined the department in Sept. 2021 after 16 years with Rancho Cucamonga Fire Department, where he progressed through the ranks.

About 16 months after accepting the position, VFD Chief Jeff Armstrong in May 2022 announced his resignation. He was replaced by Chief Fallon.

In a letter to Victorville City Manager Keith Metzler, Armstrong said, “After careful consideration, I have decided to resign from my position as Fire Chief with the City of Victorville and pursue other opportunities.”

Armstrong added that ultimately his decision “results from an evaluation of organizational ‘fit’ and leadership styles.”

Armstrong replaced former Chief John Becker, who “abruptly retired after the city council decided to contract with San Bernardino County for fire services” on May 13, 2008, the Daily Press reported.

Becker was first appointed to head Victorville Fire after the sudden departure of Chief Greg Benson in August 2020.

During that time, city spokeswoman Sue Jones told the Daily Press that Benson gave his resignation. She did not provide a reason for his departure, saying her response was limited because the matter was related to human resources.

The Victorville Fire Department is one of the busiest departments in the county and the nation, according to city officials. The department also ranks among the top 6% of the nation’s fire departments having recently received a Class 2 ISO rating.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Victorville select David Foster as new fire chief, 6th leader in 5 years