The City of Modesto announced today the appointment of Alan Ernst, Operations Division Chief, as Interim Fire Chief. Chief Ernst is a 20-year veteran of the Modesto Fire Department, beginning his career as a firefighter and promoting through the ranks.
“With the retirement of Chief Slamon, I have selected Chief Ernst to fill the Fire Chief role on an interim basis to continue to drive the organization forward,” said City Manager Jim Holgersson. “We have great confidence in Alan as he has the skill sets necessary to continue the progress made by Fire Chief Sean Slamon, and lead the department into the future.”
A 26-year veteran of the fire service, he began his career in Modesto as a firefighter in 1997. Chief Ernst has extensive fire service experience, education and training, and is on the Board of Directors for the California Fire Chiefs Association Northern California Training Officers Section. He has been a team member of several accident review teams and is currently qualified as an Incident Commander for a Type III Incident Management Team in addition to being qualified as a Strike Team Leader within the California Incident Command Certification System (CICCS).
“It has been an incredible honor and opportunity serving as the Operations Division Chief of the Modesto Fire Department,” said Chief Ernst. “I am grateful for the confidence the City Council, City Manager and the men and women of this organization have in me. I am excited about the opportunities and aware of the challenges that lie ahead and I look forward to working together to deliver the best possible services to our citizens.”