The City of Oceanside announced the appointment of David Parsons as Oceanside’s next Fire Chief. The appointment will be effective July 30, 2022, when current Fire Chief Rick Robinson is scheduled to retire.
David Parsons is an Oceanside resident who possesses over 27 years of Fire Service experience, including 21 years here in Oceanside. He was awarded “Most Outstanding Recruit” over 20 years ago at Oceanside’s Fire Academy and has steadily rose through the ranks. David currently serves as the Division Chief of Community Risk Reduction, has held the position of Acting Fire Chief and Acting Deputy Fire Chief, and previously served as an Oceanside Fire Captain for 12 years. He has served as an incident commander on significant events and has been involved with a federal incident management team to wildfire deployments across America. David has a broad emergency management, medical, and firefighting background that will serve him well in this position.
David Parsons holds a Master’s degree in Emergency and Disaster Management, a Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences, holds all relevant State fire leadership certifications, and has the Chief Fire Officer designation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence -- all of which complement his extensive professional experience. He is known as a professional, collaborative, solution-oriented leader who will be a key member of the City’s Executive Management team.
The City of Oceanside thanks Chief Rick Robinson for his six years of service as Oceanside’s Fire Chief and congratulates him on over four decades of dedicated Fire Service in our region.
The Oceanside Fire Department is the third largest department in San Diego County and as an all-risk agency, is ready to respond to any and all emergency situations. The Department serves residents, businesses, and visitors from eight fire stations, beach lifeguard facilities, and department headquarters located at Oceanside City Hall. Learn about how we can work together to reduce fire risks in our community.
