INTER-OFFICE MEMORANDUM December 29, 2025
TO: Brook Bassan, President, City Council
FROM: Timothy M. Keller, Mayor
SUBJECT:
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Re-appointment of Chief Emily V. Jaramillo to the position of Chief of the Albuquerque Fire Rescue
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Pursuant to Section 4(d) of Article 5 of the City Charter, I am submitting for Council’s advice and consent the reappointment of Chief Emily V. Jaramillo for the position of Fire Chief of the Albuquerque Fire Rescue.
Chief Emily Jaramillo grew up in Thoreau, New Mexico. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and Secondary Education from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, in 1999, and later obtained a Master of Public Health Policy from New Mexico State University. After returning home to New Mexico, Chief Jaramillo taught and coached for four years with Albuquerque Public Schools before joining Albuquerque Fire Rescue (AFR) in 2005. She is the proud mother of two young children.
In 2023, Chief Jaramillo was appointed Fire Chief of Albuquerque Fire Rescue, New Mexico’s largest fire department. She is the first woman to hold this position in the department’s 123-year history and brings more than two decades of experience in fire and emergency medical services, public safety, and public health policy.
Chief Jaramillo has served as a firefighter for over 20 years, including 19 years as a paramedic and more than six years as Deputy Chief of Emergency Services.
As Deputy Chief, she played a key role in creating the Home Engagement and Alternative Response Team (HEART) and secured millions of dollars in federal and state funding, including a federal SAFER grant that funded 12 firefighter positions for AFR. Working closely with AFR’s medical director and EMS Division, she helped transform EMS service delivery into one of the highest-performing systems in the country. Her efforts to reduce call volume in the city’s busiest areas resulted in an average annual reduction of 15,000 calls from frontline AFR units. She also helped establish AFR’s Behavioral Health Division and supported the department through its accreditation process. This work led AFR to earn Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) certification while maintaining its ISO-1 rating-placing AFR among fewer than 1% of fire departments worldwide to hold both distinctions.
As Fire Chief, her priority is providing the highest standard of care to the residents of Albuquerque. Under her leadership, AFR opened Medic 5, Medic 11, and Fast Attack 1 to strengthen emergency response in the Southeast corridor. She remains committed to maintaining full staffing levels, and with the cadet class beginning in January 2026, AFR will be nearly fully staffed. Chief Jaramillo has also prioritized firefighter training and safety by expanding Advanced Ladder and Engine Operations courses, with 10% of AFR firefighters participating over the past two years. Additionally, during her tenure, 51 firefighters have attended paramedic school in the past three years-nearly double the 26 who attended in the previous five years.
Chief Jaramillo has led innovative programs addressing behavioral health, homelessness, and alternative 911 response, and she guided the department through the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. A lifelong advocate for compassion in emergency medicine and the fire service, she continues to champion workforce wellness, mental health support, and diversity within the profession.
I respectfully ask for your support in reconfirming this highly qualified individual and a tried-and-true leader to the position of Chief of the Albuquerque Fire Rescue.