Manhattan Beach Fire Chief arrives in a time of uncertainty
Chief Daryn Drum has been living the dream he had as a man who found his calling in the fire service young and never looked back.
In his early 20s, Drum was working as a paramedic for a private ambulance company and marveled at the firefighters he’d encounter out on calls.
“I saw the comradery, the teamwork, the closeness and family environment they had, which drew me to the fire service,” Drum said. “Sports teams, yes, you get some of that — but there’s something unique about [fire service]. You live with these people a third of your life. It’s like a family, but when the call comes, everybody knows exactly what their role is, and what their job is.”
Drum, 54, after working with a private ambulance service the first seven years of his career, has now been a firefighter for 24 years in his native stomping ground, the San Diego area. He’s deeply enmeshed in the community; he also serves on the school board for Ramona Unified School District, a small district in North San Diego County. He’s served the last decade as a battalion and then division chief for one of the most dynamic public safety agencies in the region, Heartland Fire & Rescue, a consolidated fire district comprised of El Cajon, La Mesa, and Lemon Grove.
Heartland Fire has been in the thick of a lot of forest firefighting, serving a population of 186,000 that has increasingly been vulnerable to wildfires encroaching on the otherwise urban environment.
“The big difference between the San Diego region and Manhattan Beach is that we do have a real urban interface threat,” Drum said. “If you are a firefighter in Southern California, you are a wildfire firefighter. You just are. But here we just have the constant wildland-urban interface threat, where you don’t get that as much in coastal cities.”
But prior to the Heartland Fire consolidation, Drum spent 15 years as a firefighter and battalion chief for Lemon Grove, a town of 25,000 that reminds him a lot of Manhattan Beach.
“It’s a small city, and City Hall has got a vibe to it — it’s all hands on deck, everyone just works together,” he said. “It’s like, ‘This is my role, somebody needs some help,’ and everyone rolls up their sleeves and gets to work. The time I spent in City Hall in Manhattan Beach I heard more people laughing, smiling, just enjoying their work day. You can’t just make that happen; you can’t just will that. That has to happen by fitting the right person with the right organization and environment…I tell you, if anything stood out to me throughout the [hiring] process, it’s that people enjoy coming to work and enjoy serving. It’s going to be a true blessing to be a part of that team.”
That said, Drum is arriving at a fire department that has endured a challenging last couple of years and faces an uncertain future. A year ago, Chief Robert Espinosa resigned after firefighters went public with a no-confidence vote. Espinosa had been chief for seven years and had been in conflict with MBFD rank and file for the last three of those years. Firefighters believed he had been negligent in adjusting to changes in mutual aid agreements with nearby agencies that resulted in sometimes egregiously long response times. They also believed he’d created a hostile work environment in which intimidation and retaliation were prevalent. Firefighters took the unprecedented step of appearing before council last March to implore change.
“On behalf of the Manhattan Beach Firefighters Association…I am begging you in front of the community that we love and that we serve: fix this. Make us a priority,” firefighter and paramedic Rudy Mejia, president of the MBFA, said at the time. He urged the council to hire a new fire chief who “will get us out of this hole.”
Espinoza retired shortly thereafter, saying he didn’t want the community to have to choose between its firefighters and fire chief. MBPD Chief Derrick Abell, who’d just taken the helm of the police department a few months earlier, was given responsibility to also lead the fire department on an interim basis. Abell is an almost universally beloved figure within both departments, but he wasn’t a career firefighter and his interim term went longer than anybody expected. Behind the scenes, two candidates were offered the MBFD chief job after going through the entire recruitment process; each dropped out at the last minute.
Meanwhile, in February, the City Council requested a feasibility study from the LA County Fire Department regarding the costs and service impacts of contracting fire service through LAFD, as Hermosa Beach has already done and Redondo Beach is considering.
Finally, the firefighters have been without a contract since Dec. 31. Neither side has gone public with the issues of contention, but the Police Officers Association, the Teamsters, and other collective bargaining groups within the city all reached labor agreements this year. Given the recent history within the fire department and the uncertainty about its future, the lack of a contract would appear to be another unsettling sign for firefighters.
Firefighter paramedic Dave Shenbaum acknowledged that the last year has been difficult due to the various uncertainties, including the delay in getting a new fire chief, the lack of a contract, and the LA fire study.
This backdrop makes Drum’s appointment all the more significant. In its press release, the City noted that Drum “served as Union President and Chief Labor Negotiator for the International Association of Fire Fighters, Local 2728.” And Drum himself said that the firefighters he met in Manhattan Beach are a big part of why he wants to come here.
“I met with the labor group as part of the selection process and I’ll tell you, they’ve got servant’s hearts,” he said. “People get into this business because they want to help people. It’s a wonderful career, but really, most people get into it for the right reasons…Everybody I’ve met so far was just a great representative of the city, and what they’ve expressed to me is they are ready to move forward. They are not dwelling on the past, and neither am I.”
Drum said he and firefighters were on the same page in that the big picture is the good of the community they serve.
“Never once did I hear ‘Me, I, or mine,” Drum said of his discussion with MBFD firefighters. “And I’m not here to say whether they’ve had legitimate issues or not. We are leaving that behind and moving forward. And this is the commitment I’m asking from all stakeholders, from battalion chiefs and from everybody…We are moving forward.”
“Several individuals have given me that commitment already. But that is going to be my message from day one.”
Another hopeful sign is that the City Council at its March 19 meeting approved a contract with McCormick Ambulance service, something the MBFA advocated more than a year ago to address lagging response times that have occurred since Hermosa Beach became part of LA County fire.
City Manager Bruce Moe believes Drum is the ideal fit for MBFD.
“I am very excited to have Daryn join our team,” Moe said. “He is an enthusiastic leader who brings a great deal of applicable fire and paramedic experience. Daryn also has tremendous interpersonal skills, a positive outlook and a commitment to public service…I look forward to Daryn’s arrival and the beginning of a new era at MBFD.”
He also thanked Abell for serving as acting fire chief for an entire year.
“‘Coach D’ put service above self, and brought his spirited, thoughtful and caring leadership to the Fire Department, and in the process, laid the groundwork for Chief Drum’s success going forward,” Moe said.
Meija said firefighters were encouraged in their meetings with Drum.
“Our firefighters are eager to have a new fire chief,” Meija said. “We welcome Chief Daryn Drum to our fire family with excitement and anticipation. Our firefighters are confident that together we will provide the services our community deserves.”
Shenbaum echoed those sentiments.
“After being without a fire chief for over a year, we are excited to have a new fire chief and looking forward to working with Chief Drum,” he said. “We eagerly await his arrival and want to welcome his family into our Manhattan Beach community.”
Drum, who starts April 8, said he deeply appreciates how ingrained firefighters are within the community.
“They are hardworking and have great hearts,” Drum said. “Others may be amazed where we go from here, but I won’t be.”