Merced native returning home to lead the city’s fire department

The City of Merced has picked a leader with local roots to be its next fire chief.

Derek Parker, a 1994 graduate of Merced High, was named to the department’s top post by City Manager Stephanie Dietz, according to a Tuesday news release from the city. He will start Jan. 4.

A battalion chief at Sacramento Fire Department, the 44-year-old Parker grew up in Merced. His family has owned Parker’s Hardware for decades.

He’ll take the leadership reins of the department from outgoing Chief Billy Alcorn, who accepted at deputy chief position at Fresno Fire Department.

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to come home and bring the experience that I’ve been able obtain from larger agencies back to the City of Merced and move forward with it,” Parker said in the release.

“The Merced Fire Department has a great history of providing community-based services at a very high level,” he added. “The opportunity to expand on previous successes is an opportunity which I can’t pass up.”

A trained paramedic, Parker said one of his goals is to bring paramedics to the Merced Fire Department, according to the release.

Dietz said in release the city’s fortunate not only to have Parker’s experience, but his close connection to the community. “In addition to his strong administrative and leadership skills, Derek brings a strong work ethic and commitment to excellence that will serve the department well,” Dietz said.

The annual salary for fire chief is $126,865.68 to $154,205.79.

Career highlights

Parker started his career in 1995 at the McKee Fire Station working as a firefighter for Merced County Fire Department.

In Sacramento he helped oversee a department with a $33 million budget. He supervised the Emergency Medical Services Division and the Special Operations Division, which includes the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 7, the release said.

For the past nine years he has been a Federal Emergency Management Agency section chief and has responded to incidents nationwide. Most recently he responded to hurricanes Florence, Michael, Delta and Dorian to serve as the section planning chief.

Parker started out in Sacramento as a firefighter/paramedic and worked his way up as an engineer/paramedic before being promoted to captain/paramedic.

After high school, Parker worked for Riggs Ambulance for four years, then briefly in Selma, before heading north to Sacramento.

Parker studied to be a firefighter at Merced College under former Fire Chief Ken Mitten. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Sacramento State and is working on a master’s degree in fire and emergency management from Oklahoma State University.

Parker is married to the former Kimberly Williams, who is also a Merced native, and they have two sons, Aiden, 16, and Brett, 13.

This story was originally published December 22, 2020 at 11:34 AM.