Toledo Fire and Rescue Department Chief Luis Santiago announces retirement effective Aug. 3

Toledo Fire and Rescue Department Chief Luis Santiago announced today he plans to retire effective Friday, Aug. 3, 2018.

Chief Santiago has been a Toledo firefighter since May, 1984. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1988, captain in 1993, battalion chief in 2000, deputy/assistant chief in 2007, and was appointed chief of the department on July 2, 2011.

“Chief Santiago has dutifully and honorably served the people of Toledo for more than three decades, and he has admirably led the Fire and Rescue Department since 2011,” Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said. “I want to publically thank him for his bravery as a firefighter, his service to the people of Toledo, and for the advances made by the department under his leadership.”

Under the Chief Santiago’s leadership, the department remains one of the few nationally accredited departments in the United States. The fire department received the prestigious ISO rating of 1 in June, 2017.

“It has been a privilege leading this great department, which is full of talented and dedicated men and women,” Chief Santiago said. “It is and was truly an honor serving as fire chief. I wish nothing but the best for the department and the city of Toledo.”

In 2017, the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department responded to more than 60,600 incidents, of which 53,904 were emergency medical service calls. The remaining 6,758 were fire-related incidents. It was the first time the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department exceeded 60,000 runs in one calendar year. Arson-related arrests increased 57 percent last year over 2016 thanks to the work by the Fire investigation unit under Chief Santiago’s leadership.

Chief Santiago holds various certificates from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Incident Management System and the United States Coast Guard. He is a member of the Lucas County Fire Chiefs, the Ohio Fire Chiefs Association, and the International Association of Fire Chiefs. The chief serves on Toledo Zoo Foundation Board, Toledo Fire Museum Board, and is a founding board member for the Toledo Fire & Rescue Foundation. Chief Santiago has served on the Advisory Board of the State Fire School of Bowling Green State University, the Board of Trustees of Knight Academy. He was trustee of the Toledo Firefighter Health Plan and was an assistant football coach for St. Francis High School for 26 years.