Meet our Board of Directors
Andy Ortega
President
Assistant Fire Chief
Ret. Ventura County Fire Department
Andy Ortega
Andy served for 37 years with the Ventura County Fire Department. He grew up a son of a Ventura County firefighter, followed his father's vocational footsteps, and worked up through the ranks. Andy retired from the Department as the Assistant Fire Chief of Emergency Services in February 2017. On December 5 of 2017, Andy and his wife lost their home during the Thomas Fire. While the loss was devastating and heartbreaking, they started the long road of recovery and rebuilding. For the next several years they focused on getting back home.
Andy joined the Fire Safe Council in 2021, and he continues his career as a consultant and trainer instructing incident command and management courses. Andy joined the Fire Safe Council because of his commitment to the mission of the Fire Safe Council. He has experienced the effects and impact of wildfires, both as a professional firefighter and a victim of fire loss. Andy sees that protection from wildfires must include combined awareness and efforts of homeowners, neighbors, communities, and the fire service. The Fire Safe Council is committed to work that is necessary and important. He believes in the goal of bringing partners together for the safety and greater good of our communities.
“As a retired Assistant Fire Chief with the Ventura County Fire Department, I am proud and humbled to be part of an organization that is growing and has worked so hard to address the very real threat that wildfires present to our communities. As I look ahead to the future, I’m excited to be a part of the mission of the VRFSC. Additionally, I’m encouraged as we move forward and expand fire safety training, awareness, and services; as we provide our local communities in areas of fire prevention, property preparedness, fire safety education, and support to partner agencies.”
“We may not stop the large fires from coming, but we certainly can do a better job of preparing our people to be safe and protect their homes before the smoke is in the air” -Andy Ortega
Mike LaPlant
Vice President
Deputy Chief
Ret. Ventura County Fire Department
Mike LaPlant
After serving 8 years in the United States Air Force, Mike served for 32 years with the Ventura County Fire Department. He worked up through the ranks and retired from the Department as the Deputy Fire Chief in 2014. He continued his career as a consultant and trainer in advanced incident management. In 2016, Mike joined the Santa Paula City Fire Department as an Assistant Chief and served there for two years. Upon the consolidation of the Santa Paula City Fire Department and the Ventura County Fire Department, Mike left the Santa Paula Fire agency and continued to provide training and consulting services to agencies throughout the country. He continues to be a member of a Federal Incident Management Team and has responded to major incidents such as major wildfire incidents and hurricane relief efforts in many areas of the country. Mike is committed to the mission of the Fire Safe Council. He sees that protection from devastating wildfires must include efforts of homeowners, neighborhoods, and the whole community and that the Fire Safe Council is instrumental in bringing these partners together.
“As a retired Deputy Fire Chief with the Ventura County Fire Department, I am excited to be part of an organization that has worked so hard to address the very real threat that wildfires present to our communities. As I look ahead to the future of the VRFSC, I’m proud to carry the mission forward and expand even farther – the list of services we provide to our local communities in areas of fire prevention, property preparedness, fire safety education and support to partner agencies.”
Pat Hanley
Treasurer
Broker Associate for Berkshire Hathaway Home Services California Realty, The Hanley Team
Pat Hanley
Pat Hanley, MBA is a lifelong resident of Ventura County who is passionate about serving her community. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and an MBA from Loyola Marymount University. Pat developed strong accounting, finance, and audit skills while employed at Getty Oil Company and Rockwell International. She is currently a broker associate for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Realty where she assists her clients with residential and investment properties.
Pat also volunteers in the community and has written several successful grants for community organizations. At Thousand Oaks High School, she was co-chair of the “Every 15 Minutes”, a teenage drunk driving awareness program, and was involved with several athletic booster programs.
Jim Kniss
Secretary
Owner
Veteran’s Emergency Technical Services (VETS)
Jim Kniss
Jim Kniss was raised in West Covina, CA (Second Generation So. Cal resident), then moved to Santa Barbara after the military in 1975. He settled in Ventura in 1980 and months later, Jim started with the Ventura County Public Works agency as a surveyor-in-training. Shortly after being hired, he transferred to the Mapping Department due to severe reductions in the survey needs of the county. While working there, Jim helped develop the GIS (Geographical Information System) base map that is used by all county departments for spatial awareness and decision-making. In 1995, Jim moved to the Ventura County Fire Department as the GIS analyst who is primarily responsible for the integrity of the 911 centerline used for emergency response. While with the fire department, Jim responded to over 50 large-scale fires, floods, landslides, and Hurricane Katrina as a GIS specialist. Jim retired from the county in 2008 and started Veteran’s Emergency Technical Services, Inc. (VETS) which provides mapping and infrared analysis during emergency operations throughout California. Jim has witnessed firsthand the tragedies of wildfires across the west and is passionate about making our communities as safe and as prepared as possible for these devastating events. He believes the Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council is a forward-looking group of volunteers focused on making our community as fire-resistant as we can.
“While with the Ventura County Fire Department, I responded to over 50 large-scale fires, floods, landslides, and Hurricane Katrina as a GIS (Geographical Information System) specialist. I have witnessed firsthand the tragedies of wildfires across the west and I am passionate about making our communities as safe and as prepared as possible during these devastating events. The Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council is a forward-looking group of volunteers focused on making our community as fire resistant as we possibly can.”-Jim Kniss
Michael Lopez
Wildland Fire Division
Santa Barbara City Fire Department
Michael Lopez
Born and raised in the Ojai Valley, Mike has always been one with nature. After graduating Nordhoff High School Mike went off to work with the Federal Fire Service both with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and National Park Service (NPS) serving on fire crews and as an Engine Captain. He has responded to many campaign fires across the Western states both on management teams and operations. Mike attended and graduated from Oxnard College Regional Fire Academy and continues to educate himself through the California State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Today Mike is a big advocate for wildfire prevention and mitigation. He currently works for the City of Santa Barbara Fire Department in the Wildland Division where his goals are to protect lives, property and natural resources in the Wildland Urban Interface by the creation of defensible space, engineering, education, fuels reduction, and modification activities.
Mike resides in (Ventura County) with his wife Priscilla and four kids. He
enjoys spending time with his family camping and working at the farm. He
has been a big advocate in wildfire prevention along the Santa Clara Valley
of Ventura County.
Maggie Tougas
Emergency Manager
California State University Channel Islands
Maggie Tougas
Maggie Tougas, CEM has lived in Ventura County for over 33 years. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Both Criminal Justice Administration and Public Administration from San Diego State University. She is a Certified Emergency Manager with the California State Training Institute (CSTI/Cal OES). She worked for Oxnard Police Department in Crime Analysis as a Serious Habitual Offender Analyst for several years. She went on to become a Probation Officer, then Crime Analysis and Crime Scene Investigator with the City of Port Hueneme for 14 years. She also wore the hat of Emergency Manager at Port Hueneme. The first disaster she responded was the La Conchita mudslide. In August, 2011 she contracted with CSU Channel Islands in writing their Gas Pipeline Emergency Plan. The plan won an award the following year from Cal OES. On May 13, 2013, she began her career as a full time Emergency Manager on the day of the Springs Fire. Since then, she has responded to numerous fires and emergencies on campus and in Ventura County. She is a certified Incident Command System Trainer with CSTI and Plans Section Chief with the CSU system. For over 13 years Maggie was the chair of Ventura County Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (VC VOAD) and is still involved with VOAD in disaster recovery. She has an emergency preparedness consulting business and continues to meet the needs of the campus and Ventura County Community where help is needed before, during and after an emergency. She loves to spend time with her family, especially at her cabin in Tahoe.
Brian Clark
Fire Marshall
Ret. Ventura City Fire Department
Brian Clark
James A Stephenson
Fire Captain
Ret. Ventura County Fire Department
James A Stephenson
I go by Jim. I’m a California native and lived in Ventura County most of my life. I’m currently a resident of Ventura City. I spent my school years living in Santa Paula. My father was a Ventura County Fire Department firefighter. During my youth, I got to experience my father’s occupation in a very personal way and decided I wanted to become a firefighter. Once I graduated from high school, I volunteered to go into the Submarine Service of the Uniter States Navy.
Upon discharge from the Navy, I was hired by Ventura County Fire Department as a Fire Control worker. Our primary purpose was to fight wildland fires. Our crew would respond to fires as an initial attack resource on a helicopter. We used chainsaws and various hand tools that were adapted for firefighting and create control lines around the fire by separating the fuel from the fire. As I promoted up in the Ventura County Fire Department, I have responded to many wildland fires in Ventura County and throughout California. During my career, I observed the intensity of the fires grow due to extreme weather events, fuel growth and us wanting to live in the wildland/urban interface.
I spent 36 years serving the people of Ventura County and retired as a Fire Captain at Station 50 at the Camarillo Airport. I recently was voted onto the Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council board and want to bring my experience and knowledge to help our communities by educating and creating ways for our communities to fire harden their homes. I appreciate this opportunity to serve.
