{"id":2567,"date":"2026-06-11T01:31:43","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T08:31:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/11\/deputy-chief-jess-specht-selected-as-oceansides-next-fire-chief\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T01:31:43","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T08:31:43","slug":"deputy-chief-jess-specht-selected-as-oceansides-next-fire-chief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/11\/deputy-chief-jess-specht-selected-as-oceansides-next-fire-chief\/","title":{"rendered":"Deputy Chief \u2018Jess\u2019 Specht selected as Oceanside\u2019s next fire chief"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Deputy Chief Jessamyn \u201cJess\u201d Specht, with 23 years in the Oceanside Fire Department, has been selected as its next fire chief to succeed Chief Jim Parsons, who is retiring June 19, city officials said Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Read more Photos: November fire<\/a><\/p>\n

Parsons joined the Oceanside Fire Department in 2001 as a firefighter-paramedic and became a captain and then a division chief before serving as chief for the past four years. He oversaw the opening of two new fire stations, strengthened emergency preparedness programs, and launched the department\u2019s hand crew, which was funded by revenue from the city\u2019s voter-approved Measure X half-cent sales tax. His fire career spans 31 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is hard to overstate the positive impact that Chief Parsons has had on our community,\u201d said City Manager Jonathan Borrego, in the city\u2019s written announcement.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe established a strong work culture centered on professionalism and service to our community,\u201d Borrego said. \u201cHis focus on succession planning led us to the admirable position of being able to select the next chief from within the organization, ensuring leadership continuity as we face the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

The city conducted an internal recruitment with two rounds of interviews and three candidates before Specht was selected by the city manager. The City Council\u2019s approval is not required. A formal swearing-in is planned for a date to be selected in early July.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018We have a revenue problem.\u2019 Firefighters raise alarm over El Cajon budget cuts<\/a><\/p>\n

Specht joined the department in 2003 as a firefighter-paramedic and has been a captain, battalion chief, division chief and deputy chief. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in sociology from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a master\u2019s in homeland security and public health preparedness from Penn State University.<\/p>\n

He served as strike team leader during the 2017 Lilac fire and as operations section chief during the 2024 Oceanside Municipal Pier fire, according to the city\u2019s announcement.<\/p>\n

Specht\u2019s priorities as fire chief will include training and mentoring a growing department, expanding the Lifeguard Division in response to rising beach visitor demand, and continuing efforts to support the physical and mental health of fire personnel, the announcement states.<\/p>\n

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\u201cChief Parsons is handing the baton to someone with deep experience in Oceanside and who has earned this moment,\u201d Borrego said. \u201cJess Specht knows the Department and the Oceanside community inside and out, and I\u2019m looking forward to his leadership. Oceanside Fire is in great hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Photos: Fair day<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Oceanside Fire Chief Jim Parsons will retire June 19 after 31 years in fire service.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2566,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"yoast_head":"\nDeputy Chief \u2018Jess\u2019 Specht selected as Oceanside\u2019s next fire chief - Los Angeles Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/11\/deputy-chief-jess-specht-selected-as-oceansides-next-fire-chief\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Deputy Chief \u2018Jess\u2019 Specht selected as Oceanside\u2019s next fire chief - 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