Jessica Walton joins UC Davis as Deputy Fire Marshal after 15 years as a Fire Prevention Specialist with the City of Woodland’s Fire Prevention Department. 

Jessica started at the City of Woodland in an administrative support role and shared that she had little experience in fire prevention. Since then, Jessica has become a certified fire marshal with the State of California, along with earning an Associate Degree in Fire Technology and a Bachelor’s Degree in University Studies. “My experience in the field taught me to be open-minded and flexible,” shared Jessica. “I don’t have an ego and I don’t know everything, but if you explain to me what you do, I can work with you on how to do it safely.”

Jessica enjoys Fire Prevention because the field is challenging and requires constantly having to learn. “I could be 100 years old and would still continue to learn,” remarked Jessica. “I love it.”

At UC Davis, Jessica hopes to continue learning, while building connections and getting to know her partners. “It’s important to me to help my unit be the best it can be, and to keep heading in the right direction.”  

Jessica has a daughter, a great group of friends she considers family, parents and relatives that live in Kentucky. Jessica visits Kentucky every other year and enjoys taking vacations with her parents and her daughter, with whom she took a bus tour around Ireland. “I love to travel almost as much as I love books,” proclaimed Jessica. “I read romance, adventure, sci-fi, and my favorite books are Frank Herbert’s Dune series.”

Jessica hasn’t decided where to travel next, though visiting the Australia’s Zoo is definitely top on her list. While Jessica is traveling, her fur babies - a dog and three cats - will be missing her at home.