Barry Parker. Courtesy photo.
CAMARILLO — Barry Parker, a 27-year veteran of the Ventura County Fire Department, has been promoted to Division Chief overseeing special operations, Fire Chief Dustin Gardner announced today.
“Barry Parker is an excellent leader with extensive experience in the wide range of specialized operations that he will be in charge of,” Fire Chief Dustin Gardner said. “He is the perfect person to take on this new role.”
The new position, approved by the Ventura County Fire Protection District Board, will have responsibility for fire emergency coordination with government agencies, arson investigations, special events, the hazardous materials (HAZMAT) unit, Urban Search and Rescue operations, and the Tactical Emergency Medical Services teams. Parker will start his new assignment July 10.
Parker wants to use the new role to enhance coordination between the fire department and law enforcement agencies, especially during large incidents that require specialized responses. He hopes to increase the number of exercises where firefighters and law enforcement can train together and deepen relationships among the agencies.
“We look for opportunities for success,” Parker said. “I believe this is an opportunity to provide the highest level of professional public service to our community.”
Parker joined the Ventura County Fire Department as a firefighter in 1995. He earned promotion to engineer in 2000, captain in 2004 and has served as a battalion chief since 2016. His current assignment is Battalion 3, which covers southeast Ventura County, including Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks.
During his career, he has been part of specialized operations with VCFD’s Urban Search and Rescue, HAZMAT, Water Rescue and Swift Water Rescue teams, along with assignments on ladder trucks, as a public information officer, as a training captain and as an investigator working with the District Attorney’s Office’s Environmental Crimes Unit.
Parker is a member of a CalFire Type 1 Incident Management Team. On that team, , with which he operates as a Safety Officer and Division Group Supervisor. Parker has mobilized during complex emergencies to provide command and control to manage the operational and safety issues associated with all risk incidents.
His team responded to the Montecito mudslide in 2018 and Parker had responsibility for four regional Urban Search and Rescue task forces, rescue dogs, search and rescue teams, and multiple hand crews, consisting of about 200 firefighters.
For more information about the Ventura County Fire Department, visit www.vcfd.org.