Visalia's new fire chief is looking forward to reducing his commute and being able to spend more time with his family once he starts on the job June 16.

Family man Mark Nelson, 46, has spent the last eight years with fire departments in the San Francisco Bay Area -- a captain and battalion chief in Union City, chief in Rio Vista and, most recently, assistant fire chief in American Canyon, a city in Napa County just north of Vallejo. But during that entire time, his family -- wife Mary Kay and his four children -- have remained at the family home in Modesto, where he has lived for 20 years.

Nelson said the economics of living in the Bay Area made it necessary for him to divide his weeks, spending the work week at work and coming home to the family on his days off.

"It was different when I was a battalion chief and the shifts had you off four days in a row," he said, "but when you have a regular 40-hour work week, it's tough."

He said he's particularly looking forward to spending more time with his two young sons, ages 6 and 3; Nelson also has two older daughters, ages 25 and 22.

The Nelsons plan on moving to Visalia by the time he starts the new job.