Fire Chief Bill Herrera

The City of Fillmore announced the appointment of Bill Herrera as the new chief of the Fillmore Fire Department, on October 30, 2008.
Herrera has been with the Fillmore Fire Department since 1999. In 2005 he was promoted to Captain and served in that capacity for three years. Since June 2008 he has served as interim chief, while Chief Pete Egedi was placed on paid administrative leave on April 7, 2008.
Herrera’s appointment was effective Thursday, October 30, 2008. Herrera said he is committed to continuing the strong traditions of the department, which responds to approximately 1,000 medical and fire emergency calls annually. “I look forward to meeting the challenges of the community, and working with the City Council, City staff, and our firefighters. I am committed to ensuring a strong future for the fire department.”
Egedi has been under investigation by The Ventura County Sheriff’s for allegations of misuse of funds. The investigation was completed and sent to the District Attorney’s Office around July 30th. The DA’s Office has yet to announce whether it will file charges against Egedi.
Egedi continued to receive his base pay of $79,987, and benefits of $70,887 from the City of Fillmore during the investigation. Egedi was Fillmore’s fire chief for three years, and was an at-will employee of the city, without contract.
When asked for a comment on Egedi’s termination Administrative Services Manager Steve McClary released this statement to the Gazette on Monday, November 3rd, “Regarding Mr. Egedi, as of Oct. 29, 2008 Mr. Egedi is no longer an employee of the city. As this is a personnel matter and out of respect for Mr. Egedi’s privacy rights, the City cannot comment further. The City has no information or comment regarding any investigation.”