Paso Robles Fire Chief Jonathan Stornetta to retire after 35-year career

By Paso Robles Press · Thu Oct 15 2026

Dec. 18 retirement follows nine years leading department through expanded staffing, new facilities and improved fire protection rating

PASO ROBLES — Fire Chief Jonathan Stornetta will retire Dec. 18, concluding a 35-year career in fire and emergency services that included more than 25 years serving Paso Robles and overseeing one of the department’s most significant periods of growth. Stornetta, who became interim fire chief in October 2017 and was appointed permanently in April 2018, will leave a department that nearly doubled in size during his nine years of leadership. His tenure included the opening of Fire Station 3, development of a regional public safety training center and investments in staffing and equipment.

“Serving as Fire Chief has been the greatest privilege of my career,” Stornetta said in the city’s retirement announcement. “I am incredibly proud of our staff. Their professionalism, compassion, and commitment to helping others make this department exceptional. Whatever we have accomplished, we have accomplished together.”

Stornetta’s career began in 1991. Historical reporting on his appointment describes his early service as a reserve firefighter in Atascadero before moving to the Morro Bay Fire Department. He joined Paso Robles as a firefighter/paramedic in 2001 and advanced through the ranks of captain and battalion chief before taking the department’s top position. An Atascadero High School graduate, Stornetta comes from a family with multigenerational ties to San Luis Obispo County and agriculture.

His arrival in Paso Robles came during another period of transition. The department, which traces its volunteer roots to the early 1890s, began employing a combination of volunteers and career firefighters in the early 1990s before becoming a full-time career department in 2003. Stornetta’s service also extended to regional emergency medical committees and incident management teams coordinating responses to major emergencies.

When he assumed the interim chief’s position in 2017, his assignments included implementing a departmental restructuring, strengthening fire prevention and working toward a third fire station to improve community coverage.

That long-standing goal became a reality in December 2023, when Fire Station 3 opened at 2924 Union Road. The station was established to strengthen emergency coverage, improve response times in areas beyond existing four-minute response zones and accommodate future growth.

The adjacent Paso Robles Public Safety Training Center followed, opening with an Aug. 14, 2026, ribbon-cutting ceremony and live fire demonstration. Designed for police and fire training, the facility provides space for emergency responders to practice together and strengthen regional coordination. Measure J-20 supplied most of the funding, supplemented by $500,000 in federal funding secured by Rep. Jimmy Panetta.

Stornetta credited department employees, city leadership, the City Council and voters’ investment through the Measure J-20 supplemental sales tax for making the department’s expansion possible.

The department now has 50 full-time career personnel serving a 19.9-square-mile area from three stations, according to the retirement announcement.

“Chief Stornetta has served our community with expertise and commitment. His vision for the future of emergency services led to thoughtful investments of Measure J-20 funding in staffing, facilities, training and equipment,” City Manager Chris Huot said. “Our Fire & Emergency Services Department is stronger and more responsive thanks to his leadership, and the community will benefit for years to come.”

Earlier this year, the city’s ISO fire protection rating improved from Class 3 to Class 2, another milestone city officials attributed to investments in emergency services.

The leadership transition comes as the department prepares its next phase of planning. A Community Risk Assessment and Standards of Cover has been completed, and work is underway on a 2027–2032 strategic plan to guide staffing, service delivery and long-term needs.

The city will conduct an open recruitment for Stornetta’s successor. Deputy Fire Chief Jay Enns will serve as interim chief until that process is completed.

Reflecting on his career, Stornetta also thanked his family for supporting a profession that required long hours, missed celebrations and time away from home.

“I leave with deep gratitude for the opportunity to serve, pride in this department, and confidence in its future,” he said.

“This community’s trust and support, together with the dedication of our staff, have been the foundation of the department’s success and will remain its greatest strength.”