Division Chief Justin Linquist was born and raised in Salinas, California where he attended Palma High School and spent as much time as possible on the family ranch in Santa Clara County.  He attended university at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo where he graduated with a B.S. in Agribusiness in 2001.  Upon graduation, Justin was introduced to the fire service by close family friends who he credits for his career path. 

Justin worked as a seasonal EMT firefighter for Cal Fire for two seasons and volunteered with the Salinas Rural Fire District during his second year.  He accepted a full-time firefighter position in 2004 and became a paramedic in 2010.  After the creation of the Monterey County Regional Fire District, Justin held the positions of Engineer and Captain before being promoted to Division Chief in May of 2024. 

Justin resides in the District with his wife and two children and enjoys serving his neighbors in the local community.