President’s Message

Hello CALSAFE Members, 
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to those who have not yet met me at an Annual Conference. I am, Matthew McCarrick, your new CALSAFE President. It has been my privilege to have served on the Board since 2019 as both the Region 1 Director, and as the Secretary of the Board. I have been in the industry for more than 20 years, and have owned my company for 16 of those years.

As some of you might have noticed on the webpage, there have been changes within the Board. I would like to assure every member that every person on the Board is committed to the Association and what the Association stands for within the Fire Protection Community.

In May 2026, the Board held a special election for the position of President after the recent vacancy of the former President. We had some distinguished, and qualified members nominated for this position, after deliberation we held a sealed vote. I had the privilege of being elected. It is my honor to have to been nominated and elected. I would like to thank those members that were nominated for their time and willingness to step forward to offer their services to fill this position. During the election process, a variety of thoughts and ideas were brought up as to the course of direction that the Association should be heading. I will strive to continue the current course, and to encourage new thoughts and ideas while remaining true to our heritage and customs.

Due to my newly elected position as the President, the position of Secretary has now been vacated. This vacancy was filled through a full board election, and I have the proud honor of welcoming Lucas Castro of Fire Safety First to the Secretary’s position.  Lucas has served on the board as Director at Large for the last 3 years and I want to thank Lucas for rising to the occasion and dedicating more of his time to this Association. Congratulations Lucas on the new position!

Due to the most recent realignment of the Board, we now have two open positions available on the Board, and as such we are looking for volunteers to fill these positions. The positions for Region 3 Director and Director at Large are the two positions that we are currently seeking nominations. We sent out an email asking our members to nominate either themselves or others whom may be interested in a more involved position within CALSAFE. The position of Region 3 Director will be for the remaining 2 years of the original term, and the Director at Large’s term will be for the remainder of the year. For those looking to become more involved this a great opportunity.

Our Annual Conference will be held in Carlsbad this year and we are looking forward to seeing everyone there.

Sincerely,
Matthew McCarrick
President, CALSAFE