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WILLIAM R. BAMATTRE

Chief Engineer and General Manager

Los Angeles Fire Department

Chief Bill Bamattre was assigned to Battalion 5 in the Hollywood area of the City prior to his appointment as interim Chief Engineer. On April 23, 1996, he was officially confirmed as the fourteenth Chief Engineer and General Manager of the Los Angeles Fire Department. He was officially sworn in by his sister, Judge Patricia Bamattre Manoukian.

Chief Bamattre has over 20 years experience in the Fire Service. During his tenure on the Department, Chief Bamattre has held every promotional rank through the rank of Battalion Chief. Bill has gained experience working in assignments encompassing all Department Bureaus both in field and "Special Duty" capacities. Chief Bamattre has worked in the following geographic areas of the city: Downtown, South Central, Mac Arthur Park, Highland Park, Mount Washington, Baldwin Hills, Crenshaw District, Hollywood, San Fernando Valley, and East Los Angeles.

A native of Los Angeles, Bill was born and raised in the Baldwin Hills area. He attended elementary school in the Crenshaw District and graduated from Daniel Murphy High School located in the Fairfax/Hollywood area.

Bill spent the next four years of his life in the Bay area of California attending Stanford University from which he graduated in 1974 with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science. It was at Stanford that Bill was first exposed to the Fire Service. Working to pay for tuition and housing, he obtained a position as a "Student/Firefighter" on the Stanford Fire Department. This work-study opportunity served as an introduction to what subsequently became a career decision.

While working as a Fire Inspector assigned to the Downtown Fire Prevention Bureau, Bill enrolled at Cal State Los Angeles. Attending classes after work, he obtained a Master's Degree in Public Administration in 1986.

In addition to work responsibilities, Bill has remained active in the community. In 1989, then a resident of newly incorporated Dana Point, Bill was elected to the inaugural City Council. He later served as the city's Mayor in 1991. Not the only community activist in the family, Bill and his wife Liz were honored as joint "Outstanding Citizens of the Year - 1991" by the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce.

Bill and Liz will celebrate their eighteenth wedding anniversary in August. They make their home in the Los Angeles community of Northridge and have two teenage sons: Nikolaus and Jacob.

 

 

L.A. Fire Chief Retires Amid Furor
AP, December 2, 2006


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