Racowschi named Victorville interim fire chief

William “Willie” Racowschi has been appointed the Victorville Fire Department’s interim chief.

Racowschi, who was Torrance’s fire chief for seven years, is scheduled to begin work Dec. 31, according to a statement on the city’s website.

He replaces Brian Fallon, who left to become Lompoc’s fire chief. Victorville officials plan to conduct a nationwide search to find Fallon’s replacement.

“We wanted a talented fire professional to serve as our interim chief, so we cast a very wide net and received a great deal of interest from folks wanting to serve,” said Keith Metzler, Victorville city manager, in the statement. “We selected Chief Racowschi because of his demonstrated leadership skills, and because he’s the best fit to keep Victorville Fire moving forward.”

A native of Italy, Racowschi began his career in fire service Burbank and was hired by Torrance in 1980. He worked his way up through the department and was named chief in August 2008. He retired in 2015.