Deputy Scottsdale Fire Chief Leaves The Job After 47 Years

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Deputy Chief Jim Ford left the Scottsdale Fire Department earlier this week, after 47 years on the job.

He began his career in firefighting when he was just 19 years old and started full-time with the rural/metro department in 1975 He joined the Scottsdale Fire Department in 2005 as Deputy Chief Fire Marshal.

“The City of Scottsdale only had 3 fire stations when I started, and now as I come to the close of my time here, the city will soon have 16 fire stations,” Ford said in a news release. “Throughout all of this incredible growth and change, I consider myself blessed to have been able to play a small part and work with some amazing visionaries that were associated with the local political leadership, the incredible employees that serve this community, and the previously mentioned fire department professionals.”

Ford wrote a 10- and 15-year in-depth research study on the positive effects that the city's comprehensive, built-in automatic sprinkler ordinance had on Scottsdale's fire protection initiatives.

He spoke to fire, industry and political leaders in Canada, Wales, Scotland, England, the Netherlands, Sweden, Aruba, Prague, Singapore, and throughout the United States about the success of Scottsdale's automatic sprinkler ordinance.

“Jim Ford has been an incredible asset and advocate for fire prevention all over the world,” Scottsdale Fire Chief Tom Shannon said in the news release. “There is no question his dedication to Scottsdale and saving lives is above and beyond. He will truly be missed.”