Plant City Says Goodbye To Retiring Fire Chief, Seeks Replacement

PLANT CITY, FL – As Plant City bids farewell to retiring Fire Chief Daniel R. Azzariti, whose official last day is Friday, May 18, the city has begun the search for his replacement.

The city has posted a call-out for qualified applicants to lead the Plant City Fire Rescue Department, which pays between $81,328 and $131,268 for an experienced firefighting professional with a master’s degree in fire science or fire administration preferred.

Plant City Fire Rescue currently has a contingent of 38 firefighters/paramedics, operates two fire stations and is in the process of building a third station.

Plant City’s Fire Rescue Department is a full-service fire and Advanced Life Support transport operation, which also provides emergency medical services to the annual Florida Strawberry Festival, an event that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors during its 11-day run.

The fire rescue service covers a 28-square-mile area where more than 38,220 people live.

In a job description sent to the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the city said it’s looking for an “innovative leader and a strategic thinker,” along with at least 10 years of “progressive leadership experience.”

Azzariti was hired as fire chief in August 2013, selected from a field of 25 applicants.

He spent most of his 40-year fire rescue/EMS career in New Port Richey where he retired in 2008 as director of the city’s emergency service. He also served as deputy fire chief at Marion County Fire Rescue.

He left public service to take a position as a senior consultant for a private firm but returned in 2013 as Plant City’s fire chief.

In 2016, Azzariti was elected president of the Florida Fire Chiefs Association.

During his career, Azzariti collected his fair share of honors and awards including being inducted into inducted into the State of Florida’s EMS Hall of Fame.

Azzariti’s son, Daniel, is a Tampa firefighter/paramedic, so Azzariti will have no problem keeping tabs on Tampa Bay’s firefighting community.

But he told Mercedes Perez, director of human resources for Plant City, that he plans to spend most of his time just relaxing on the beach.

Image via city of Plant City·