A former Lompoc City Fire Chief and Santa Barbara County firefighter has died.
The Santa Barbara County Fire Department says Gerald (Jerry) Kuras passed away recently at his home in Nipomo.
His career started in 1974 when he began working as a seasonal firefighter for the California Department of Forestry. From there, he worked for Santa Barbara County Fire from 1975 to 2011 when he retired as a battalion chief.
In 2017, he came out of retirement to serve as the chief for Lompoc City Fire until 2020.
“Jerry was well known in the community and deeply appreciated by all the friends and ‘family’ he made over the years. He was a man that would help anyone who needed it and will be greatly missed by many people,” Lompoc City Fire said in a press release.
During his 36 years with Santa Barbara County Fire, Kuras reportedly worked at every one of the department’s fire stations.
