“Fire Battalion Jeff Rowan has served San Rafael with distinction since 1984. Chief Rowan has lead our fire department and protected our community as a Battalion Chief, since 2010. Chief Rowan is upbeat and portrays a positive attitude that is contagious. He looks for the good in people and situations which improves outcomes. Jeff exhibits all of the “right stuff” that you could expect of a public servant and the necessary attributes to relay and present an outstanding image to both City Staff and Community members. The results speak volumes about who Jeff is and his commitment to San Rafael.
Chief Rowan is my “go to” with staff – 24/7 and I mean that literally. Be it the pulse of the organization or knowledge of a specific situation, he is a confidant and respected leader. He is in touch. Jeff has the rare ability to walk through the Fire Dept. and City organization at all levels, building trust along the way. His efforts have improved our ability to connect and serve others. He is insightful and has great assessments skills that make a real difference with how we treat and serve people. And animals too, as Jeff coordinated a horse rescue a few years back that had fallen into a well that was phenomenal.
BC Rowan is relied upon in his role as a liaison within the City and externally with allied agencies and organizations. His great people skills make a tremendous difference in relationships that span his decades of service. I’ve personal witnessed him first hand treat people with courtesy, respect and comfort, seeing that we go out of our way to assist them, whatever the situation might be, and it wasn’t because the Chief was watching…its who he is and how he serves others. Jeff is creative and uses my support to solve issues in ways that make us better. He is cost conscious and personally generous. Jeff is courteous and seeks ways to assist others, that most just wouldn’t pursue. He truly cares and is not afraid to take risks.
Chief Rowan has made some extraordinary contributions to keeping our community safe as recently witnessed during the San Rafael Hill Fire in June of
this year. I spent eight hours with him, well into the late evening hours to see first-hand that the fire was contained, and our personnel were taken care of. He never asks something of someone that he wouldn’t do himself and was hands on in this effort to support over 100 firefighters on scene in the best way possible as he juggled, command of the incident, delegating and even fitting in and speaking with the press and community. I have great confidence in his ability.
Whether a complex emergency incident or challenging circumstance, Chief Rowan rises to the occasion and excels with virtually any task assigned or ones that he tackles on his own. We had a recent unique situation come up just last week that required a deft hand and Chief Rowan came through again. He has stepped in as Acting Fire Chief on multiple occasions and made decisions in the best interest of all concerned. Jeff holds my respect and inspires others through his loyalty, work ethic and positive attitude and it is my honor and pleasure to nominate him as Employee of the Quarter.”
-An inspired colleague of Jeff Rowan