Turns out, the city is also known for its crop of fire chiefs.Cookston is a Trabuco Canyon resident. He and his wife, Lisa, have raised three children: Isabel, Faith and Everett.
The Fountain Valley Fire Department offers mentoring programs – including promotional academies and workshops — that were all initiated by Cookston. The new chief earned an associate of arts degree in fire technology and a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership.
Cookston began his time with the Fountain Valley Fire Department as a volunteer in 1991, working as a fire prevention and suppression reserve.
Like Coppolino and Haskell, Cookston attended Fountain Valley High School. Also like Coppolino and Haskell, he has spent his entire firefighting career in Fountain Valley.
Since beginning his firefighting career 25 years ago, Cookston has held every sworn position in the department, including paramedic, engineer, captain, paramedic coordinator, training captain and battalion chief.
“I got hired back in 1993 full time after being a reserve,” Cookston said. “At that time, I told then-Fire Chief Rich Jorgensen that if he hired me, I would never leave and I would give my best effort to Fountain Valley for the rest of my career. Fountain Valley is well known as an early farming community where sugar beets, lima beans and asparagus were grown in the area’s rich, fertile land.
“There is no greater honor for me to be given the opportunity to give back to the city and the fire department what they have given me.”
He was named fire chief shortly after Coppolino officially retired on June 27.
Meet the city’s newest chief, Ron Cookston who, like recently retired fire chief Tony Coppolino and former chief Mark Haskell, has his roots in Fountain Valley.
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