Santa Maria Fire Chief Leonard Champion demonstrates how the ladder from a new truck can touch the ground during the unveiling at Fire Station No. 1 in July 2018.
Santa Maria Fire Chief Leonard Champion, left, in 1995 with his father, Mike Champion, the department’s longest-serving reserve firefighter.
Santa Maria Fire Chief Leonard Champion was officially named fire chief in 2016 after serving in the role on an interim basis.
Leonard Champion, pictured on his Santa Maria Fire Department ID, when he joined the department as a fulltime firefighter in 1993.
Santa Maria Fire Chief Leonard Champion serves on Oct. 23, 2019, during the Empty Bowls fundraiser for the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County at the Santa Maria Fairpark.
Santa Maria Fire Chief Leonard Champion addresses the City Council during a March 5, 2010, meeting.
New Santa Maria Fire Chief Leonard Champion hugs his wife, Melody, after she pinned on his badge during the City Council meeting on Nov. 15, 2016.
Santa Maria Fire Chief Leonard Champion looks at a display of his department’s history during the grand reopening of the Santa Maria Valley Historical Society Museum on April 27, 2018.
Santa Maria Fire Chief Leonard Champion stands on an island at Broadway and Cook Street seeking donations on April 11, 2018, during the fifth annual Day of Hope fundraiser.
Nearly 30 years ago, Leonard Champion was offered a position in the Santa Maria Fire Department as a reserve firefighter, following in the footsteps of father and department veteran Mike Champion.
He was grateful to be back in his hometown of Santa Maria for the start of his career, completing certification tests all over the state in search of a position after graduating from Cal State Long Beach.
“It was my dream department, but I was willing to go anywhere,” Champion, 51, said. “I was very fortunate not to have to move away from the community I love and grew up in, and to get to deepen those connections to the community.”
That initial step would launch a long career in the department that was full of surprises, including his eventual promotion to fire chief. However, after much thought over the last year, Champion has decided to retire from that role on Dec. 17.
“It’s definitely something that you weigh out as you get closer to that time,” Champion said. “It just makes sense for me and my family, and to do it at this time.”
Earlier in his career, Champion had hoped to become an arson investigator. However, after advancing to a non-reserve firefighter in 1993, he moved on to be a truck engineer, fire captain and battalion chief.
In 2016, Champion was named fire chief by former City Manager Rick Haydon after serving in the position on an interim basis, a role he was proud to hold.