Manhattan Beach City Manager Bruce Moe announced on Friday, June 19, that Fire Chief Daryn Drum was served a notice of termination and been relieved of his duties at the Manhattan Beach Fire Department. Police Chief Derrick Abell will temporarily serve as Acting Fire Chief along with his current responsibilities, as he did prior to Chief Drum’s hiring in April 2019.
The City was recently made aware of comments made by Chief Drum in public settings on separate occasions of the past week. This week, during a meeting of regional public safety officials, Chief Drum used the analogy of “not taking our foot off their throat” a number of times when referring to negotiations with an external vendor (relevant excerpt of audio link). In addition, Chief Drum made the following comments on a local podcast regarding police interactions and civil unrest (podcast link).
“We need thoughtful leaders offering voices that are open and inclusive. Chief Drum’s recent comments do not reflect our core values as a City, and an immediate change of Fire Department leadership is in the community’s best interests,” stated City Manager Bruce Moe.