NEWS RELEASE

April 30, 2019

For Immediate Release

City Selects New Fire Chief 

SAVANNAH, GA (April 30, 2019) — City Manager Rob Hernandez has announced his appointment of Derik Minard as Fire Chief for the City of Savannah. Minard comes from Colorado where he served as Deputy Fire Chief of Operations for the City of Westminster.

Minard’s experience includes 21 years of operational expertise in roles including Battalion Chief, EMS Chief, Captain and Lieutenant. He was a part of the department’s Executive Team and the City’s Management Team that developed and implemented the strategic plan and vision for the organization. He worked in an administrative capacity for three years in fire prevention as a Fire Plans Examiner and Fire Investigator and also helped the department focus on community risk reduction.

As Deputy Fire Chief of Operations for the City of Westminster, Minard commanded a full-service department responding to all fires, advanced life support-EMS response and transport, and special teams to include regional water rescue with public safety divers and underwater capabilities, technical rescue, hazardous material mitigation, and a wildland team that responds nationwide. Westminster recently achieved ISO Class-I rating and is in the process of going through the CPSE accreditation process.

Minard has an Associate’s Degree in Fire Science, Bachelor’s Degree in Public Safety Administration, a Masters’ Degree in Leadership with an emphasis in Disaster Preparedness, and is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer (EFO) program.