Thom Porter

Thom Porter is the Director of Emergency Management for San Diego Gas and Electric.  He is responsible for providing leadership, vision, direction, and support to 5 Operational Groups (Emergency Operations, Operational Field & Emergency Readiness, Business Innovation and Systems, Training and Exercise, and Aviation Services).  Thom joined SDG&E in January 2022, after retiring from a career with CAL FIRE.   From 1999 through 2021Thom worked his way through the ranks of CAL FIRE, and in 2018 he was appointed California State Forester and Fire Chief and confirmed in 2019.  Both Governor Jerry Brown and Gov. Gavin Newsom recognized him in that capacity.  Thom has a BS degree in Forest Management from the University of California at Berkeley and is a Registered Professional Forester.  His forestry and fire career were both formed here in San Diego. Thom was CAL FIRE San Diego Unit and San Diego County Fire Authority Chief in 2012 through 2013 prior to promoting to Southern California Region Chief.  His Statewide perspective and experience bring new depth to our emergency management, risk reduction, and resiliency efforts.  In the SDG&E spirit of sharing best practices with its partners and being better tomorrow than we are today.  In 2023 Thom was appointed to the British Columbia Premier’s Task Force on Emergencies. He is sharing his experience and lessons learned from California Wildfire and Utility mitigation efforts.  He helped develop plans and actions to improve the Province’s Wildfire and emergency preparedness ahead of the 2024 season.  In 2025 Thom was elected to serve as the Chair of the California Utility Emergency Association (CUEA).