News Release: City Manager Selects Stephen Lindsey as Fire Chief
Published on October 16, 2025
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
CITY MANAGER SELECTS STEPHEN LINDSEY AS FIRE CHIEF
18-year fire service veteran selected following a competitive recruitment
PALO ALTO, CALIF. – City Manager Ed Shikada announced today the selection of Stephen Lindsey as Fire Chief, subject to City Council approval. The City Manager’s selection follows a competitive recruitment after the retirement announcement of Chief Geo Blackshire, concluding 28 years of service in Palo Alto.
“I am pleased to advance Stephen for this critical public safety position and look forward to presenting this decision to the City Council,” said Ed Shikada, Palo Alto city manager. “Stephen’s two decades of service in Palo Alto, commitment to learning and leading others, strong communication and extensive fire and emergency medical service experience will position him well to advance Palo Alto’s fire and emergency medical service priorities.”
Lindsey started with the Palo Alto Fire Department in 2005 and has held the positions of firefighter, apparatus operator, fire captain, and fire investigator before being promoted into the role of battalion chief in 2019. In 2021, Lindsey was promoted to acting Deputy Chief and Fire Marshall before his formal promotion to Deputy Chief in 2022.
“There are tremendous opportunities ahead, from our strategic planning and investing in fire leadership through succession planning, recruitment and new recruit training to expanding the emergency medical services program, wildfire prevention and launching the rebuild of Fire Station 4,” said Stephen Lindsey. “I look forward to continuing to make progress on key organizational priorities in collaboration with City Manager Ed Shikada, and partnering with City staff and the City Council to protect and serve the Palo Alto community.”
Lindsey holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from San Jose State University with a minor in Sociology. Lindsey is currently enrolled in the International Association of Fire Chiefs Fire Service Executive Development Institute, attended the National Fire Academy – Strategic Organizational Leadership (Published work), Stanford Local Governance Institute, Leadership Palo Alto among other fire specific trainings, certifications, and education.
The Fire Department operates six fire stations, and one seasonally staffed station in the Foothills Nature Preserve through an agreement with Santa Clara County Fire Department and Los Altos Hills County Fire District. The department responds to 9,410 calls for service annually within the Palo Alto and Stanford jurisdictions. Palo Alto is the only fire department within the County to operate its own emergency medical ambulance service.
The Fire Department is one of fourteen departments in the City of Palo Alto and is supported by over 120 full-time employees (sworn and non-sworn) with an annual operating budget of $59.9M. The Department is organized across four divisions– Operations, Support Services, Fire Prevention, and Administration.
In preparation for the Fire Chief recruitment effort, the City Manager solicited community feedback on the priorities and key skills needed for success via the City Council’s Finance Committee public meeting as well as stakeholder engagement and online input. This feedback informed the development of the candidate profile and the recruitment process.
The City Manager will present his selection of Lindsey to the City Council on Monday, October 20, 2025. Chief Lindsey will start in his new role on November 1, 2025, with a salary of $366K.
For more about the Palo Alto Fire Department, go here: www.PaloAlto.gov/fire
For more about the City of Palo Alto, go here: www.PaloAlto.gov
Sent By:
Meghan Horrigan-Taylor
Chief Communications Officer
City Manager's Office
Office Phone: (650) 329-2607
Email: Meghan.Horrigan-Taylor@paloalto.gov