The Moraga Orinda Fire District (MOFD) has named Darrell Lee Battalion Chief.
A 25-year veteran of MOFD and one of the original members of the Moraga Fire Protection District, Lee rose through the ranks of Firefighter, Engineer and Fire Captain/Paramedic before taking on the Battalion Chief position.
Along with being in charge of the A shift for Battalion 4, (which consists of the five fire stations in the Moraga Orinda Fire District), Lee will also oversee Facilities, Supply and Information Technology for the Fire District.
Lee emphasized that safety and service will remain key goals. "We want to do the best job we can and offer top customer service," he said. "We want to make sure everybody - the firefighters and the public - goes home safe."
In preparation to move into the Battalion Chief position, Lee said he has taken numerous qualification classes including management and command courses as well as becoming a certified Fire Chief. MOFD Fire Chief Pete Nowicki said that all firefighters have the opportunity to continue their training so they will be well-prepared for promotions. "We have a career development guide that we adhere to that promotes and enables employees to get their qualifications," said Nowicki
Lee is a founding member of the Department of Homeland Security as part of the National Disaster Medical System, is on the Incident Management Team for Alameda and Contra Costa Counties as a Medical Unit Leader, and has served through deployment to national incidents such as the World Trade Center and five hurricanes, including Hurricane Katrina. And, for more than 20 years, Lee has spent much of his off-duty time as a Moraga Police Reserve Officer.
"Darrell has been a 'go-to' employee for almost 25 years. He's performed admirably as a Paramedic/Captain and has eagerly been preparing for transition into the new role as a Battalion Chief," Said Nowicki. "He's well known for his many years as a major player all aspects of emergency medical response and Contra Costa County EMS affairs and (along with our Continuous Quality Improvement Nurse and Training Chief) has managed and has developed the Fire District's EMS program to the successful level at which it operates today."
Lee replaces Battalion Chief Ed Borden, who retired at the end of April.
A 25-year veteran of MOFD and one of the original members of the Moraga Fire Protection District, Lee rose through the ranks of Firefighter, Engineer and Fire Captain/Paramedic before taking on the Battalion Chief position. 
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA