New Ceres interim fire chief previously led this Stanislaus County fire department
An interim chief began serving the Ceres Fire Department on Friday after its chief of two years left for a job in the East Bay.
Michael Botto, formerly chief of the Oakdale Fire Department, is temporarily leading the agency while Ceres searches for a new chief.
Former Chief Kevin Wise left the department on Feb. 11 to become a deputy chief of the Fremont Fire Department. Hired as chief in January 2019, Wise came to Ceres Fire after working for the Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District for about six years.
Botto, who retired in December 2009, said he is committed to ensuring a smooth transition for the department. He previously led the Oakdale Fire Department on a part-time basis from his retirement to February 2012, after serving as Oakdale’s full-time fire chief for two years.
“It is an honor to be part of, even if for only a short time, the Ceres Fire Department,” Botto said in an email. “It is impressive to work alongside the professional dedicated team and to follow the exemplary leadership of Chief Kevin Wise, providing all risk services to the community of Ceres.”
Botto cannot work more than 960 hours for the city this fiscal year, per the California Public Employees’ Retirement System rules.
He worked for the City of Oakdale his entire career, beginning in 1979. Botto said he served as a firefighter, engineer, captain and division chief before rising to chief. Oakdale no longer has an independent fire agency, and the Modesto Fire Department serves the city.
He also served on a federal incident management team for five years. As a division group supervisor with the South Central Interagency Incident Management Team, Botto said he helped with Hurricane Katrina relief while assigned to Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi.
Wise called his departure bittersweet during the last City Council meeting on Feb. 8.
“I want to thank the citizens of Ceres, the City Council and the firefighters for giving me the opportunity to serve as your fire chief,” Wise said. “I’ve learned a lot over the last couple of years and I hope I left the department better than when I found it.”
Before Wise, the last permanent Ceres Fire Chief was Bryan Nicholes, who retired in summer 2017. Nicholes had served as chief since March 2015, a few months after the city split a single department of public safety into separate police and fire agencies.
