Southern Marin fire chief retires after 47-year career

Christian Tubbs says he never planned on a career in fire service.

The son of a naval officer, Tubbs’ family spent the 1960s moving to American naval bases around the world, including Australia, Japan and posts along the West Coast. Growing up, he says, he thought he would follow in his father’s footsteps.

“I grew up in a military environment, and for many years I thought that that was the path that I was going to take,” he says.

But in 1973, the family settled in Mercer Island, Washington, near Seattle. By high school, Tubbs had developed a passion for photography and joined his school newspaper. His first assignment was a story on the Mercer Island Fire Department. The firefighters he spoke to encouraged him to take the test to join the department.

At 18, Tubbs did just that. He was hired by the Mercer Island department in 1978, while still in high school, as an auxiliary firefighter.

“Almost immediately once I got into it, I knew that that was what I was supposed to do in life,” he says. “I mean, it was just like an epiphany. And I’ve never regretted it, never looked back.”

Tubbs retired July 1 after more than 11 years as chief of the Southern Marin Fire Protection District, capping 47 years in fire service. In his tenure, Tubbs oversaw major changes, including the 2023 annexation of the Mill Valley Fire Department into the district and the 2018 passage of Measure U, a parcel tax that generates $3.1 million annually. Under a shared-services agreement, Tubbs also served as Mill Valley’s fire chief from 2020 until the district absorbed that department in 2023.

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