Division Chief Colburn joined the Alameda Fire Department (AFD) as a firefighter on May 1, 1990. Prior to that, he had five years of experience as a part-time/volunteer firefighter with the Cotati Fire Protection District in Sonoma County. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1997 and Captain in 1999. He served as a member of the Fire Department Safety Committee for 24 years, lead grant writer for 10 years, Public Information Officer (PIO) for eight years and was a member of the Fire Labor Management Team for eight years.
Chief Colburn was promoted to the rank of Division Chief in March of 2019 and was assigned to the Operations Division. He served as administrative oversight for AFD Fleet Services, grant writing and the PIO program.