After three years without a fire chief, the city of Auburn hired Dave Spencer, a battalion chief with the Orange County Fire Authority. Spencer will join the department in mid-July. A Bob Richardson, Auburn City Manager has made the recommendation to the City Council saying Spencer has the experience and skills to develop a professional day to day operation. The Fire and Police have been under the same manager, Police Chief John Ruffcorn, since 2015 when the positions were combined at the time of retirement of Fire Chief Mark Da Ambrogi.