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Fire Engineer John Campanaro, a longtime crew member, praises then-cadet Emily Colhour after a tough workout May 10, 2024.
Turf Removal Landscape Incentive
2008 crash, many left. Some are starting to come back as housing becomes more affordable. Right now, most of our staff commute. Some live as far as Prescott Valley, Payson or Wickenburg. But they’re committed. Our schedule helps — long shifts and multiple days off — but we are seeing signs that more might settle here again, especially younger hires. What is this new generation of firefighters bringing to the table? I’m really inspired by them. I don’t buy into the “we’ve always done it this way” mindset. This new generation brings fresh skills, enthusiasm and perspective. They’re tech- savvy. They challenge us in good ways. They’ve made immediate contributions. It’s not always comfortable, especially for those of us who started in an analog world — but it’s necessary. We’ve seen probationary firefighters bring forward ideas that changed how we do things. Our senior staff provide the guardrails — they’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. But the younger generation is eager, motivated and engaged. We’ve built a system that lets them test gear, do research and present proposals. That’s ownership. That’s buy-in. I don’t use the nozzles anymore. But the people who do should have a say in what tools we’re using. And they’re stepping up. That’s what’s really exciting. Where is the department planning to expand? We’re assessing now, but the next station will likely be south of Station 571, which is at Porter and Smith-Enke. We’re eyeing the Amarillo Creek area — there’s a lot of growth down there with new schools, housing and industry. We’ve already purchased land for Station 576. We’re just waiting for development fees to
ideas that got implemented. Because if it’s a good idea, it doesn’t matter where it comes from. Police Chief Mark Goodman and I talk constantly about where we’ll be in 10 years. The people retiring now get to hand off a department they helped build — and that’s special. It’s rare in this country to witness that kind of full-circle moment. Chief Goodman and you say you like to think 10 years ahead. What might the department look like 20 years from now? If you’d asked me 20 years ago where we’d be today, I probably wouldn’t have guessed this. Our department will have to scale with the city. If the population triples, our department might have to triple as well. That means more stations, more staff and more resources. As the city’s footprint grows, public safety has to grow alongside it — police and fire both. It’s about balanced growth and meeting community needs. How many staff are in the fire department? We have 77 staff in the fire department right now. We have four fire stations, each with three shifts — A, B, and C — so we’re covering the city 24/7, 365 days a year. We’re actively looking at expanding. We need to not only keep up with the city’s growth — we need to get ahead of it. If the state grants our certificate of necessity, we’ll launch an ambulance service, adding 30 more firefighters. We’ve grown fast before. We’ve opened stations rapidly. And we’ve learned from that. We won’t repeat past mistakes. We’ll probably make new ones — but that’s how you grow. I don’t believe in failures. I believe in lessons. You’re going to break 100 staff soon. Do they all live here in Maricopa? Not right now. When the department started, most firefighters lived in the city. But after the
Fire Captain Matthew Bradbeer responds to a carfire in the Maricopa Meadows community Aug. 30.
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come in before we break ground. Another future station will be Station 573, likely in a more central location to support long-term city growth. You’re at 18½ years with the department. Will you be retiring soon, too? I plan to stick around. Transitioning a fire chief is a major process and I want to see through the 10-year capital improvement plan we’ve started. I’m healthy, I’m still young and I love this community. I’m also a cancer survivor, and while everything looks good right now, any early exit would be health related. But my goal is to stay and keep pushing forward. I love this job, I work with incredible people and we’re gaining real momentum. It’s too good to walk away from.
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Ride along with InMaricopa on a shift with MFMD fire crews
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InMaricopa.com | June 2025
June 2025 | InMaricopa.com
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