UPDATED: Monterey Fire chief retires in wake of no confidence vote by firefighter's union.

Monterey Fire Chief Gaudenz Panholzer is retiring from the leadership position he's held since 2013, the city announced this morning, Monday, Dec. 11. The announcement comes less than two weeks after Monterey Firefighters Association Local 3707 shared publicly that 87 percent of its members had voted "no confidence" in Panholzer's leadership.

City Manager Hans Uslar accepted Panholzer's retirement, effective Dec. 30, according to a press release. It said an interim chief will be announced in the next few weeks.

Panholzer's retirement also comes just six days after several firefighter's expressed their anger to the Monterey City Council about what they characterized as failures of Panholzer and his leadership team to provide adequate training and fully functioning fire trucks and equipment, as well as mental health support for firefighters after major injuries. More than one said morale among the force was the lowest its been in many years.

One woman who identified herself as the wife of a firefighter recently injured while dismantling a structure outside of his job duties, said her husband suffered a traumatic brain injury in the "near death" accident, but had received no guidance on how to get help as he recovers from his injuries.

Firefighters also expressed disappointment with Uslar, who publicly tied the no confidence vote to ongoing contract disagreements with the union, which has been working without a new contract since June 2022. "This resolution and vote of no confidence comes at an interesting time and parallels the labor agreement negotiations," Uslar said in a written statement he issued after the union's announcement of the no confidence vote.

Union president Ross Pounds told the council that the no confidence vote and the contract disagreement—currently in binding arbitration handled by outside negotiators—were separate issues. Another firefighter called Uslar's linking of the contract difficulties to the vote of no confidence "deeply insulting."

The city's press release outlined a couple of Panholzer's accomplishments in his 10-year tenure with the city, including his efforts to secure Covid-19 vaccines early on for public safety employees, vulnerable individuals and the general public, as well as the implementation of the paramedic program.

"The City of Monterey expresses its gratitude to Chief Panholzer for his more than 45 years of professional work in the fire service," the city's announcement ends.

Panholzer was not immediately available for comment. The Monterey Fire Department also provides contracted services to Pacific Grove, Carmel, Sand City and the Monterey Airport.

UPDATED: Pounds says the union is looking forward to a collaborative effort working with the city on what comes next in choosing a new chief.

"We wish Chief Panholzer the best in his retirement. We look forward to the next chapter of the Monterey Fire Department as we strive for better," Pounds says. "That was the whole purpose of the vote of no confidence was to improve leadership and work towards better training, better provision of service to the be best fire fighters that we can."