UCLA’s new lead fire marshal is working to promote safety on campus ahead of the 2026-27 school year.
Steve McNaughten has worked in fire service for more than 30 years, most recently as a designated campus fire marshal for UC San Francisco.
McNaughten, who assumed the role at UCLA Fire in June, manages the department, which responds to emergencies from 6 a.m. to midnight. With about 25,000 students living in university-owned buildings and more than 80,000 people visiting campus daily, UCLA Fire also works to ensure all areas of campus meet safety codes.
McNaughten spoke with metro editor Julian Duaybis about his experience in fire safety and how he plans to run the agency.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Daily Bruin: What made you decide to enter fire service in the first place?
Steve McNaughten: I was in school, not knowing where I really wanted to go, just trying to get my general ed done. I ended up taking some fire science classes at Río Hondo College in Whittier, California, and really enjoyed it.
I went on my first ride through a class with LA County Fire down in Boyle Heights, and it was just hook, line and sinker. That’s what I wanted to do.
DB: What made you decide to apply at UCLA?
SM: I was up in San Francisco, and I took that position, thinking that I would be able to manage my life at home with my wife and daughter and go away for the week and be home for the weekends.
It wasn’t difficult. The job was amazing. The commute was a lot easier than I thought it was. But the fact is that during the week, my daughter just started freshman year in high school, and the gap in being able to see her grow up from Monday to Friday was an amazing gap.
That was one of my primary reasons of trying to come back down to Southern California. Then this position came open, and I threw my hat in the ring. A little bit of luck, a little bit of preparedness, and here I am.
DB: What sets aside working in fire safety at a university environment from, say, a city fire department?
SM: One of the things that’s unique, that’s really refreshing about being in a university is everybody is working toward the common goal of what is good for the student, what is good for research, what is good for the university. That was what I found at UCSF, and that’s what I find here at UCLA, is everybody is working toward that core value, from top to bottom.
In a municipality, you’re trying to provide fire safety and prevent fires and respond to emergencies to a full range of everybody. Everybody in the public is doing their own thing, wanting their own thing, as they should. In the municipal environment, it’s a lot harder to get everyone on the same page.
DB: Are there any departmental efforts that you’re working on?
SM: I don’t have any super big changes coming in. I’m working with Res Life. We’re doing some outreach with the RAs about fire safety.
There’s a new policy out for personal mobility devices and providing fire safety information on how to check for damage on your personal mobility device.
I’m working on hazardous materials inventories within the labs to try to make sure that we’re in compliance with the UCOP (UC Office of the President) presidential directive, and make sure that’s safe so we don’t have a major incident in there.
We’re also working on emergency evacuation plans with emergency management to make sure we have safe refuge areas for ADA needs. LA28 is a big one that’s coming up next year, and we’re working on that.
DB: It’s still pretty early, but what have you enjoyed about working at UCLA so far?
SM: It’s really a beautiful place. The staff that I’ve been working with in all aspects – in facilities, in chemistry and biology, housing, Res Life and EHS (Environment, Health and Safety). Everyone has been very helpful, very informative.
I’m still trying to figure out UCLA, and I don’t make change just to make change. My goal is to make sure we are fire-safe.
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