Modesto has appointed Operations Division Chief Alan Ernst as interim fire chief in the wake of the departure of Fire Chief Sean Slamon. “We have great confidence in Alan as he has the skill sets necessary to continue the progress made by Fire Chief Sean Slamon and lead the department into the future,” City Manager Jim Holgersson said in a news release. Slamon’s last day will be Tuesday after 28 years in Modesto. He is leaving to become chief of the Carson City Fire Department. Ernst has been a firefighter for 26 years. He said he started as a volunteer, then part-time and finally seasonal firefighter for the El Dorado County Fire Protection District before coming to Modesto in 1997.