A former Santa Barbara County Fire Department chief is being brought back to serve as the interim chief until a permanent replacement can be found for Eric Peterson, who is retiring after 31 years of service.
Michael W. Dyer, who was the County Fire chief for almost six years until his retirement in 2015, will take over as interim chief Nov. 5, a county spokesman said.
The recruitment of a permanent chief will be a nationwide search expected to conclude in the early part of next year, the spokesman said.
Prior to his retirement, Dyer served more than 37 years in public safety positions and was the chief deputy of the Los Angeles County Fire Department before joining the Santa Barbara County Fire Department in 2009.