Profile

Derrick Phillips

St. Louis Fire Department - MO

Contact Details

St. Louis Fire Department - MO
Ribbons
Bronze Member

Bio

Chief Phillips is a 28-year veteran of the St. Louis Fire Department. He began his career with the Department in 1994 after passing on an offer with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. He had several friends working for the department at the time who explained what a tremendous career it was. Chief Phillips was the valedictorian of his Recruit Class, despite beginning a week later than his classmates. He later went on to receive his EMT-B license in 1998.

In October 2000, he received his first commission with the Department as a Fire Captain. As a Captain he served on two suppression units, as the Public Education Officer, Public Information Officer, Projects Manager, and Chief Fire Investigator. He was promoted to Battalion Chief in 2013 and served as the Chief of Training. In 2014, he organized the Department’s Office of Homeland Security and served as the Chief of Training and Commander of the Office of Homeland Security from 2014-2021. He was promoted to Deputy Chief in May 2021, where he is the A-Shift Commander, and oversees the Administration of the Department and the Office of Homeland Security.

Since 2008, he has been an adjunct instructor for New Mexico Tech, teaching courses on Incident Response to Terrorist Bombings and Prevention and Response to Suicide Bombing Incidents. In addition, he is a subject matter expert on WMD/RAD-NUC having been educated on the subjects at the Nevada National Security Site. Chief Phillips is also the regional coordinator for Mutual Aid, on the Executive Board of the local JTTF, and maintains a role with the Urban Fire Safety Task Force with the NFPA.

Chief Phillips also served on the Board of Directors for the NFPA Education Section and the National Information Sharing Consortium. Additionally, he serves on the Forest Park Security Group and the Greater St. Louis Fire Chiefs Association.

Education & Personal Background

Deputy Chief Derrick Phillips is one of the most accomplished members of the St. Louis Fire Department. He was born and raised in St. Louis, MO, where he was educated in the St. Louis Public School system. He graduated from Sumner High School in 1989, where he played football, basketball, baseball, and Track & Field. He received a football scholarship at the University of Missouri at Rolla and was inducted into the school’s Scholastic Honor Society.

Chief Phillips graduated from Columbia College with an Associate of Science degree in Business Administration. He continued his education at Columbia College, earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration – Summa Cum Laude.

Upon graduating from Columbia College, Phillips enrolled in Arkansas State University, where he received a Master’s in Public Administration. While attending Arkansas State, Chief Phillips received notification of his enrollment at the Center for Homeland Defense at the Naval Postgraduate School. Chief Phillips pursued a second master’s degree concurrently with his MPA, and graduated with a Master’s Degree in Security Studies (Homeland Defense & Security) from the Naval Postgraduate School. NPS is the number 1 ranked school in Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

One of his favorite quotes is by Colin Powell - There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.