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Cal Fire appoints Larkin as Northern Region chief
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Keith Larkin has been appointed to the position of Cal Fire Northern Region chief.
Larkin's appointment became effective on May 1.
With this appointment, Larkin returns to the North State where he began his fire service career as a seasonal firefighter in 1974 in Cal Fire’s Shasta-Trinity Unit.
Larkin will manage and coordinate fire protection, resource management and management services programs for Cal Fire’s Northern Region, which covers the state of California from Sacramento to the Oregon border and from the Pacific Ocean to the Nevada border.
“Chief Larkin’s four decades of experience in the California fire service will be an asset to our department’s management team as we face what has already been a very busy fire season,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, Cal Fire director.
After starting in 1974 as a firefighter, Larkin promoted through the ranks and by 1997, he had attained the rank of battalion chief and worked in that capacity in Cal Fire’s Tehama-Glenn Unit, Madera-Mariposa Unit and the Cal Fire Academy.
In 2000 he promoted to the rank of division chief in Sacramento where he managed the Cal Fire and Office of the State Fire Marshal training programs.
In 2004, Larkin took the position of operations chief for the Tuolumne Calaveras Unit where he was responsible for the management of the Vallecito Conservation Camp, 10 Cal Fire stations, the implementation of two new fire safe councils and three Amador contracts with local fire protection districts.
He also served as the unit administrative officer managing all personnel and budgetary responsibilities.
In the fall of 2005, Larkin promoted to department training chief at the Cal Fire Academy in Ione where he served a dual role managing both the department’s Academy and the Training Program for the department’s 4,300 permanent and 2,400 seasonal employees.
In 2007, he was selected as the unit chief for Cal Fire Fresno Kings Unit and also served as the fire chief for Fresno County Fire Protection District which covered 2,600 square miles, 13 fire stations and an annual budget of over $19 million.
Cal Fire’s Northern Region responsibility includes oversight for 12 Cal Fire Units, 129 fires stations, 195 engines, 32 dozers, 102 inmate fire crews, 10 air tankers, six helicopters and more than 2,500 personnel. His office is located at the Cal Fire Northern Region Office on Airport Road in Redding.
Larkin was born and raised in Weaverville where his mother, Marlene, has lived for more than 60 years.
He has fond memories of his father serving on the volunteer fire department and responding to calls when the town horn sounded late at night.
Larkin has two daughters, Kimberly and Ashley.