Robert Sapien Jr., a 30-year veteran of the San Jose Fire Department who has spent more than nine months serving as the city’s acting fire chief, has been appointed to the position permanently, city officials announced Tuesday. Sapien, who had served as the acting fire chief since December 2017 following the departure of Curtis Jacobson, assumed permanent command of the department effective Tuesday, according to a news release issued by the city. Sapien will lead a department with 823 full-time employees who respond to about 91,000 calls for service each year and conduct about 12,000 fire prevention inspections annually, according to the city.
“I can’t help but feel like today is icing on the cake,” Sapien, 50, told the San Jose City Council on Tuesday. “Despite the fact that I’ve been acting in the position for 10 months, I am numb today from emotion.”