Fire Chief Michael Moore Named Interim City Manager in Riverside
Published: 6/14/2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 14, 2022
Contact:
Phil Pitchford
Public Information Officer
951-826-5975
Fire Chief Michael Moore Named Interim City Manager in Riverside
40-year public servant has spent nearly last eight years as Riverside’s Fire Chief
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Michael Moore, who has spent nearly eight years as the City of Riverside’s Fire Chief, has been named Interim City Manager, effective immediately.
Moore, who has spent 40 years in public service, takes over from Al Zelinka, who left June 3 to become City Manager in Huntington Beach. Moore will fill the role during the next several months while the City Council conducts a search for its next chief executive. Deputy Chief of Operations Lawayne Hearn will serve as Interim Fire Chief.
“Michael Moore has shown during his eight years as Fire Chief that he is an accomplished leader, and we are fortunate to have him at the helm during this transition,” Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said. “I thank the City Council for its diligence as we conduct a nationwide search for our next executive.”
During Moore’s tenure as Fire Chief, the Fire Department, assisted by funding from Measure Z, elevated its rating from Insurance Services Office (ISO) Class 2 to the highest awarded level – ISO Class 1. This highly regarded distinction reflects the department’s commitment to providing quality public safety services through faster response times, more firefighters and paramedics, and additional truck companies.
There are only about three dozen ISO Class 1 Fire Departments in California. Riverside is one of only six departments in California that are both ISO Class 1 and Commission on Fire Accreditation International Accredited.
During the past five years, under Moore’s leadership, the City Council approved a spending plan for Measure Z funding that replaced the majority of the existing front-line apparatus and moved some of the older units into the reserve fleet.
Moore started his tenure as Riverside’s 21st Fire Chief on Aug. 26, 2014. He had previously been Fire Division Chief with the Orange County Fire Authority. He started with the Orange County agency as a firefighter/paramedic in 1982, worked for 15 years in the position of Chief Officer, and served as the local Fire Chief for the City of Irvine, which contracted with the Fire Authority for fire services.
Moore earned his Executive Fire Officer certification from the National Fire Academy in 2005. He was awarded a Master of Public Administration degree from California State University, Long Beach in 1993 and graduated from the University of Redlands with a B.A. in Management in 1988. He earned associate degrees in Paramedical Education from Santa Ana College and Fire Service from Long Beach City College, both in 1984.
“I have devoted my life to public service, and I am grateful for the opportunity to demonstrate my leadership abilities in service to our city,” Moore said. “I am thankful to be part of such a dynamic and focused organization.”
Moore’s salary will be $312,052.
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