National City, Calif. --
The man hired to replace National City's retiring fire chief has no fire experience, the 10News I-Team learned.
Frank Parra has been a National City councilman for eight years and has worked as an emergency medical technician for over 20 years. However, he is not a fireman.
Chris Zapata, National City's city manager who hired Parra told the I-Team, the new hire doesn't need fire experience.
"You have battalion chiefs, captains and fire fighters who actually fight the fires," Zapata said.
The job title has been changed from fire chief to emergency services director, and Parra will earn a salary of $119,000 a year, which he said will be a small pay cut.
The search for a new chief was not extensive, and Zapata said the firm hired to find a new fire chief was called off. Parra was the only candidate considered.
"Frank was the only person I wanted to hire," Zapata said. "I made the offer and he accepted."
Zapata said he believes the community needs someone with an EMS background because EMS calls are the majority of their calls. The I-Team checked and found the National City Fire Department received 9,000 emergency medical response calls and 5,000 fire calls over the past three years.
When the Zapata offered the new job to Parra, he essentially hired his boss. Zapata was appointed to his city manager job by Parra and other members of the National City City Council.
Before he could get the job, Parra needed the approval of his co-workers on the city council. They approved, but the only other hurdle was to get the approval of Parra's peers on the city council -- and they said OK.
Parra thinks his employee is doing the right thing.
National City resident Herman Baca sent a letter to the city council, saying the job appointment "smacks of a political backroom deal that stinks to high heaven."
The National City Firefighters' Union supports Parra as their next boss. At a recent firefighters' convention in San Diego, the I-Team spoke with firefighters from outside the county who think a fire chief should have extensive experience.
Michael Dyer, Santa Barbara County Fire Chief said, "I think a fire chief has to have a combination of fire experience, EMS experience ... everything."
The I-Team checked local fire department chiefs' backgrounds and found the two largest cities in the county, San Diego and Chula Vista, both neighbors to National City, have fire chiefs with 50 years of firefighting experience.
Parra maintains his 20-plus years in emergency services makes him qualified, and told the I-Team, "I understand the department. I understand what the needs are."
Parra starts his new job in early April.
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5 comments postedHe will be gone in 6 months
He will be gone in 6 months after arrives on a working fire attempts to take command and makes a future parking! This could not happen in my state you must be certified firefighter to command a fire department, no exceptions!
The same thing happened when
The same thing happened when the fire chief at THFD in IL was removed from his position due to politics. He had over 18 years of fire experience. He also possess several state and national certifications on fire related courses including Hazmat, Tactics, Fire & Arson Investigation, WMD and several others. He has been an officer for about 15 years out of the 18 years on the dept. All officers under his command were fully certified and qualified. Since this change in power our trainings are mostly EMS oriented. It is like fire training is not important any more. To my knowledge the new fire chief has never been in a training fire or a real fire in his entire career. Most of the officers that he appointed when he took command have been removed due to lack of certs and training. This has caused our deptartment to seem like a joke.
OK lads . . . simmer down and
OK lads . . . simmer down and listen to an old school Chief as wisdom pours forth: As a career guy for 38 yrs. and current Fire Chief, I can tell ya that the Chief's job is 99.9 % administrative. I don't much like it but that's the way it is. The new National City Chief is, hopefully, an outstanding administrator who has the courage to trust his line Officers and Firefighters to do the right thing out on the street. You just do not need extensive experience on the fireground to navigate the risky political minefield that confronts us Chiefs each day. The key, as I said, is a willingness to trust, rely on and back-up the rank and file fire guys. Get those guys the funding to properly and safely do their jobs. Then, get the hell out of their way and let 'em do it.
CONGRATS!!!! NOT!!! Well,
CONGRATS!!!! NOT!!!
Well, this is where our job is headed. EMS DIRECTORS instead of CHIEF of FIRE DEPT!!! This is such crap. Leave it to California to come up with such an invention of idiocrasy...
Bulls**t! Complete bulls**t
Bulls**t! Complete bulls**t politics. Anyone who wants to disagree may, but you are not a true firefighter with any sense if you do.
Isnt it amazing how people in this world think that they can do the deed without knowing how. Dang. I have been doing this for a long time and either know, or have known many chief officers, as well as "PUBLIC SAFETY/EMERGENCY SERVICES DIRECTORS" and they ALL have extensive experience in all realms. The sad reality is that this guy is a leader of a FIRE DEPARTMENT, not an EMS agency.
I am with the guy in the piece. This stinks of pure politics. Backroom deal... Sounds like it to me.