The Folsom Fire Department has deployed Battalion Chief Ben Signor to assist with wildland firefighting efforts on the Grasshopper Fire in Oregon. Chief Signor dispatched on Sunday, August 2, serving in the critical role of Line Safety Officer. The department anticipates Chief Signor will remain assigned for a standard 14-day deployment, with a possible extension up to 21 days depending on incident needs.

Chief Signor currently serves as the C-Shift Battalion Chief, leading daily emergency operations for the department while overseeing key administrative programs. A U.S. Army veteran, Chief Signor joined the Folsom Fire Department as a lateral firefighter in 2001. Coming from a fire service family—with both his father and brother serving as firefighters—he advanced through the ranks as a Firefighter/Paramedic, Engineer, and Captain before promoting to Battalion Chief in July 2024.

A respected leader across the fire service, Chief Signor was a trailblazer in California as one of the state's first few fireline paramedics for wildland fires in the mid-2000s. Over his career, he has served on multiple incident management teams in key roles, including Medical Unit Leader, Line Safety Officer, and Fireline Paramedic.

Bringing more than 29 years of structural and wildland fire experience and five years as a qualified Line Safety Officer, Chief Signor provides critical expertise on the fire ground while actively sharing operational knowledge on an international scale.

"On this particular incident, I am integrating with Australian firefighters who are all chief officers, teaching them how we utilize line safety personnel as they look to create similar positions within the Australian wildfire service," said Chief Signor.

In his role as a Line Safety Officer, Chief Signor is responsible for evaluating operational safety, monitoring risk, and supporting personnel in high-hazard environments.

"Safety officers are responsible for reviewing and approving strategies and tactics utilized on the fire ground, as well as investigating injuries, fatalities, and accidents that occur on the fire line," Signor explained. "We also act as another set of eyes for line leadership on the fire ground and assist medical staff during injuries or an illness of firefighters, known as ‘Incidents Within Incidents’ (IWIs)."

In addition to his local duties, Chief Signor serves as a Safety Officer with the Sacramento Regional Incident Management Team (IMT) and previously served on a Federal Type 1 IMT. The expertise gained during regional and federal deployments directly benefits local emergency readiness back home in Folsom.

"The experience I bring back to Folsom helps me instruct and mentor younger firefighters for the wildfire season, whether they deploy on strike teams or in single-role positions," Signor said. "It enhances our response on initial attack incidents within town, across Sacramento County, and alongside our allied agencies in El Dorado and Placer counties."