Interim fire chief named

Newport Beach city officials have named Steven E. Parker as interim fire department chief. He will take over March 15. Fire Chief Steve Lewis is to retire Friday.

Parker, who has worked in fire service for more than 32 years, will act as interim chief for six months and will be paid $99,508, according to a news release from the city.

In the two weeks between Lewis’ last day on the job and Parker’s arrival, Deputy Chief Dave Mais will serve as acting chief, said City Manager Dave Kiff.

“It’s a fantastic department. It’s running well,” Parker said Monday. “I’ll do everything I can to maintain that.”

Parker has more than 32 years in fire service, with 24 of those years coming from Huntington Beach, where he rose to become a battalion chief. From August 2006 to August 2007, Parker was interim chief for the Costa Mesa Fire Department. He was an interim chief for Hermosa Beach in 2008.

He was also the fire chief for Vernon for five years, from 2001 to 2005.

Most recently, Parker has been working in his own consulting firm where he helps cities with recruiting, evaluating and testing fire service executives. He is not being viewed as a potential permanent replacement for Lewis, city officials said.

Lewis told city leaders last month he was going to retire. He said health issues with family members demand more of his time, and his job as chief would have suffered had he continued on.

“All of a sudden I don’t think I can give my undivided attention here. I was trying to do that and wasn’t able to do that,” Lewis said when news of his retirement surfaced. “You can only juggle things so much, and now it’s time to take care of the personal side.”

Lewis’ retirement at the end of this week means Newport Beach will have interim police and fire chiefs through at least June.