Modesto Fire Chief Alan Ernst retiring after 26 years. What was greatest accomplishment?

Modesto Fire Department Chief Alan Ernst retired Monday after 26 years of service in Modesto.

He started with the department in January 1997, following four years with the El Dorado County Fire Protection District. Over his 26 years in Modesto, Ernst served at every rank in the Modesto Fire Department, including battalion chief, shift battalion chief, support division chief and operations division chief.

“I have been blessed by serving alongside the men and women of the Modesto Fire Department for the past 26 years,” Ernst said in a statement from the city. “Having the honor and responsibility of leading a complex organization of 330 personnel and providing emergency services to over 435,000 residents has been the professional highlight of my career.”

The city’s statement says Ernst’s greatest accomplishment is his fire regionalization plan. It is a cost-effective approach that “allows for the operational efficiencies of firefighters working under the same operating procedures, command structure, and training program. This approach saves money, reduces duplicative services, administrative redundancies, and delivers a higher level of service to the communities that are served,” including Ceres, Turlock and Oakdale.

Ernst also served as the emergency manager for Modesto, Oakdale, Ceres and Turlock and was the incident commander for the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Alan is a true leader and innovator in the field of fire protection and emergency services,” Modesto City Manager Joe Lopez said in the statement. “More than that, though, he is a great man and trusted colleague. I wish him and his family nothing but happiness in this much-deserved next chapter in their lives.”

Also in the release, Mayor Sue Zwahlen said, “Chief Ernst has served our community with honor and distinction, and our City owes Chief Ernst a debt of gratitude. I would like to wish Alan Ernst good luck and Godspeed on his well-deserved retirement.”

No information was immediately available from the city Tuesday morning on efforts to find a new fire chief.

This story was originally published August 15, 2023 at 12:22 PM.