Derum appointed as Sebastopol's new interim fire chief
Derum appointed as Sebastopol's new interim fire chief
Interim Fire Chief Bruce Martin, who was hired in November, is being replaced by Interim Fire Chief Todd Derum
Sebastopol has a new interim Fire Chief: Todd Derum. This choice was confirmed by incoming City Manager Don Schwartz on January 9.
Derum, who lives in west county, comes to the job after a long career with the Sonoma-Lake-Napa division of CalFire. He started his fire career in 1987 with the Napa County Fire Department and did a stint with the Monte Rio Fire Protection District before working for two decades with CalFire, where he has been a fire captain, a battalion chief, and a division chief. He served as Sonoma County Operations Chief for CalFire from 2013 to 2018.
Derum’s predecessor in Sebastopol, Bruce Martin, tendered his resignation as interim fire chief last week, after just two months on the job.
“We knew he [Martin] wasn’t going to be here for a terribly long time, and we’re very happy with the new chief,” Schwartz said.
Before Martin, the position of Interim Fire Chief was held by Jack Piccinini, who held the job for less than a year. His fraught relations with the council brought his term to a close in October 2023. Before Piccinini, the position of Fire Chief had been held by Bill Braga since 2011. Braga, who retired in December 2022, had been with the Sebastopol Fire Department for 37 years.
Deborah Muchmore, who is the city’s personnel consultant, was pleased to have brought someone with so much experience on board so quickly. She said that Derum had promised to serve for at least six months and perhaps for as much as a year.
Muchmore was part of the team that interviewed Derum. On the basis of that interview, she said, “He is interested in transparency and open and honest communication, especially with the fire volunteers and the city leadership and collaborating where possible with neighboring fire services.”