Benicia Fire Chief Chadwick announced that Fire Captain Todd Matthews has been named the 2018 Firefighter of the Year.

This award recognizes Matthews’ selfless support of the department, the fire service, and the community. Captain Matthews’ career with the Benicia Fire Department began as a Jr. Explorer in 1987 at the age of 14, and later as a Benicia Volunteer Firefighter. He worked four seasons with CAL FIRE and was hired as a fulltime Firefighter Paramedic in 1997. Matthews was promoted to Engineer in 2007, to Captain in 2008, and serves as Strike Team Leader, Urban Search & Rescue Team member, and Fire Academy Instructor.  In what passes for spare time, Todd also serves as president of Firefighters Local #1186 which represents the cities of Benicia, Vallejo, Fairfield, Rio Vista and American Canyon.