California / Forestry and Fire Protection / Battalion Chief

Job-title file

Battalion Chief

Lead staff and operations — set priorities, allocate resources, and oversee program delivery.

704 employees hold this title in Forestry and Fire Protection. Median total compensation for the role is $203,633, above the department median of $111,787.

Employees: 704
Total payroll: $140.3M
Role median: $203,633
Agency median: $111,787
Comparison: Above

What the records show

Role pay distribution

Pay distribution for this role

-$401$330,611+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How total compensation varies among the 704 people in this role. Even for one job title, pay differs with seniority, step, overtime, and tenure. Each bar is a pay range; the far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Compared with the local labor market

Battalion Chief pay vs. California

Across all employers in California, the median wage for First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers — about 8,170 people — is $127,630. Forestry and Fire Protection pays a median base salary of $104,628 for this role, 18% below that figure — about the 29th percentile of local pay for the occupation.

Where Forestry and Fire Protection sits in the local pay range

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$80,910

$100,450

$127,630

$169,380

$204,160

Forestry and Fire Protection median · $104,628

The bar is the range of annual wages for First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers across every employer in California, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Forestry and Fire Protection’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.

And across the country

Nationwide, the median wage for First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers — about 99,140 people — is $93,530. Forestry and Fire Protection’s median base salary is 12% above that national figure, about the 61st percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$53,430

$72,140

$93,530

$119,500

$140,010

Forestry and Fire Protection median · $104,628

Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the California range relative to the national one.

Computed over the 636 of 704 people in this role paid at least $25,000in base salary. The rest are part-year or part-time records, whose actual pay isn’t comparable to a full-time annual wage.

Median total compensation for this role at Forestry and Fire Protection is $203,633, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.

Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.

Compare jurisdictions

Battalion Chief beyond California

This role is reported in 7 jurisdictions. In California, the median of $203,633 ranks #3 of 7. See Battalion Chief across all of California →

Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role

$422,208 · 26

$231,236 · 390

$186,894 · 30

$186,594 · 5

City of Salt Lake City

$143,802 · 21

City of Pittsburgh

$31,480 · 18

Median total compensation for comparable Battalion Chiefroles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.

Record list

Employees with this title

Page 1

Kari Thompson

Battalion Chief/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$446,362

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $121,929
Overtime: $195,330
Other pay: $129,104
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $446,362
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: San Diego
Middle name: L

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $8,930
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5423149723001
Salary Total: $9,660
Total Pay: $446,362

At Forestry and Fire Protection, Kari Thompson serves as a Battalion Chief within Forestry. They work full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $446,362. Their bargaining unit is R08.

James Tully

Battalion Chief/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$411,232

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $120,612
Overtime: $151,101
Other pay: $139,519
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $411,232
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: San Luis Obispo
Middle name: P

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $8,930
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5423169723010
Salary Total: $9,660
Total Pay: $411,232

James Tully is a Battalion Chief at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. They work full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $411,232. Union affiliation: R08.

Robert Tierney

Battalion Chief/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$401,384

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $124,829
Overtime: $106,244
Other pay: $170,312
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $401,384
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Riverside
Middle name: P

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $8,930
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5423129723604
Salary Total: $9,660
Total Pay: $401,384

Robert Tierney works as a Battalion Chief for Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. Robert earned $401,384 in 2025. Union affiliation: R08.

Patrick Walker

Battalion Chief/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$390,335

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $115,782
Overtime: $225,666
Other pay: $48,887
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $390,335
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: San Diego
Middle name: D

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $8,930
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5423149723602
Salary Total: $9,660
Total Pay: $390,335

Patrick Walker works as a Battalion Chief for Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. Patrick earned $390,335 in 2025. Their bargaining unit is R08.

Donald Abbott

Battalion Chief/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$372,073

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $121,929
Overtime: $61,382
Other pay: $188,762
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $372,073
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Tulare
Middle name: R

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $8,930
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5424169723004
Salary Total: $9,660
Total Pay: $372,073

At Forestry and Fire Protection, Donald Abbott serves as a Battalion Chief within Forestry. They work full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $372,073. They are represented by R08.

Steven Elenburg

Battalion Chief/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$360,773

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $107,930
Overtime: $207,060
Other pay: $45,783
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $360,773
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: San Bernardino
Middle name: S

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $8,930
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5423139723001
Salary Total: $9,125
Total Pay: $360,773

Steven Elenburg holds the role of Battalion Chief at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. In 2025, their total compensation was $360,773. Their bargaining unit is R08.

Garrett Radovich

Battalion Chief/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$359,834

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $115,362
Overtime: $199,773
Other pay: $44,699
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $359,834
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Placer
Middle name: N

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $8,907
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5422169723006
Salary Total: $9,664
Total Pay: $359,834

Garrett Radovich is a Battalion Chief at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. They work full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $359,834. Union affiliation: R08.

Kevin Cox

Battalion Chief/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$355,399

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $113,494
Overtime: $194,490
Other pay: $47,415
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $355,399
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: San Diego
Middle name: N

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $8,930
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5423149723008
Salary Total: $9,482
Total Pay: $355,399

Kevin Cox works as a Battalion Chief for Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. Kevin earned $355,399 in 2025. Their bargaining unit is R08.

John Serrano

Battalion Chief/Forestry and Fire Protection

2024 total comp

$351,748

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $91,315
Overtime: $131,994
Other pay: $128,439
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $351,748
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Sonoma
Middle name: M

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $8,712
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5421149723010
Salary Total: $9,646
Total Pay: $351,748

At Forestry and Fire Protection, John Serrano serves as a Battalion Chief within Forestry. They work full-time. Their 2024 pay totaled $351,748. Union affiliation: R08.

Joseph Baldwin

Battalion Chief/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$347,665

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $121,104
Overtime: $176,506
Other pay: $50,056
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $347,665
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Sonoma
Middle name: G

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $8,930
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5421149723006
Salary Total: $9,957
Total Pay: $347,665

Joseph Baldwin is a Battalion Chief at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. They work full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $347,665. Their bargaining unit is R08.

Jack Franklin

Battalion Chief/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$346,501

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $110,741
Overtime: $189,461
Other pay: $46,299
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $346,501
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: San Bernardino
Middle name: D

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $8,907
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5423349723001
Salary Total: $9,458
Total Pay: $346,501

At Forestry and Fire Protection, Jack Franklin serves as a Battalion Chief within Forestry. They work full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $346,501. They are represented by R08.

Timothy Bingham

Battalion Chief/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$341,242

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $115,736
Overtime: $180,604
Other pay: $44,902
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $341,242
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Riverside
Middle name: D

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $8,930
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5423129723632
Salary Total: $9,660
Total Pay: $341,242

Timothy Bingham is a Battalion Chief at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. They work full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $341,242. Union affiliation: R08.

Adam Gettman

Battalion Chief/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$335,604

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $109,923
Overtime: $179,731
Other pay: $45,950
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $335,604
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: San Diego
Middle name: E

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $8,930
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5423149723098
Salary Total: $9,214
Total Pay: $335,604

Adam Gettman holds the role of Battalion Chief at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. In 2025, their total compensation was $335,604. Union affiliation: R08.

Grant W Malinowski

Battalion Chief/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$334,731

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $111,848
Overtime: $176,164
Other pay: $46,719
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $334,731
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: San Bernardino
Middle name: P

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $8,930
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5423139723601
Salary Total: $9,393
Total Pay: $334,731

Grant W Malinowski is a Battalion Chief at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. They work full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $334,731. Their bargaining unit is R08.

Jonathan Wight

Battalion Chief/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$330,684

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $115,782
Overtime: $166,628
Other pay: $48,274
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $330,684
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: San Bernardino

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $8,930
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5423139723096
Salary Total: $9,660
Total Pay: $330,684

Jonathan Wight works as a Battalion Chief for Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. Jonathan earned $330,684 in 2025. Their bargaining unit is R08.

Erik Hostetter

Battalion Chief/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$329,462

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $97,950
Overtime: $190,265
Other pay: $41,247
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $329,462
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: San Bernardino
Middle name: S

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $8,483
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5423139723006
Salary Total: $8,421
Total Pay: $329,462

Erik Hostetter works as a Battalion Chief for Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. Erik earned $329,462 in 2025. They are represented by R08.

Russell West

Battalion Chief/Forestry and Fire Protection

2023 total comp

$326,913

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $92,674
Overtime: $176,631
Other pay: $57,607
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $326,913
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Napa
Middle name: M

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $7,447
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5421149723014
Salary Total: $7,747
Total Pay: $326,913

Russell West is a Battalion Chief at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. They work full-time. 2023 total compensation came to $326,913. Union affiliation: R08.

Joshua Rivers

Battalion Chief/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$322,277

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $109,487
Overtime: $170,186
Other pay: $42,605
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $322,277
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Riverside
Middle name: M

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $8,930
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5423129723605
Salary Total: $9,214
Total Pay: $322,277

Joshua Rivers works as a Battalion Chief for Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. Joshua earned $322,277 in 2025. Their bargaining unit is R08.

Von Mason

Battalion Chief/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$321,680

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $58,510
Overtime: $50,013
Other pay: $213,156
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $321,680
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: San Bernardino
Middle name: A

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $7,882
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5423139723502
Salary Total: $8,426
Total Pay: $321,680

Von Mason works as a Battalion Chief for Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. Von earned $321,680 in 2025. They are represented by R08.

Cody Wright

Battalion Chief/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$319,489

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $106,334
Overtime: $171,710
Other pay: $41,445
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $319,489
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Riverside
Middle name: J

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $8,930
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5423129723091
Salary Total: $8,857
Total Pay: $319,489

Cody Wright holds the role of Battalion Chief at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. In 2025, their total compensation was $319,489. Union affiliation: R08.

Shannan Harris

Battalion Chief/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$319,442

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $118,631
Overtime: $151,643
Other pay: $49,168
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $319,442
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Fresno
Middle name: H

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $8,930
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5424119723052
Salary Total: $9,778
Total Pay: $319,442

Shannan Harris is a Battalion Chief at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. They work full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $319,442. They are represented by R08.

Merrick Fields

Battalion Chief/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$318,109

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $115,343
Overtime: $60,610
Other pay: $142,156
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $318,109
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Shasta
Middle name: T

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $8,930
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5422139723001
Salary Total: $9,660
Total Pay: $318,109

At Forestry and Fire Protection, Merrick Fields serves as a Battalion Chief within Forestry. They work full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $318,109. Union affiliation: R08.

Robert Davis

Battalion Chief/Forestry and Fire Protection

2025 total comp

$317,927

Sub-department: Forestry
Base pay: $114,325
Overtime: $159,222
Other pay: $44,380
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $317,927
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R08
Work county: Riverside
Middle name: M

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $8,930
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5423129723634
Salary Total: $9,660
Total Pay: $317,927

Robert Davis holds the role of Battalion Chief at Forestry and Fire Protection within Forestry. Their status is full-time. In 2025, their total compensation was $317,927. They are represented by R08.