There was no early retirement from the fire service for Scottsdale Deputy Chief Joseph Early. His tenure spans 45 years, beginning in 1976 with the City of Chicago.
On March 31st, Early finally ended his career at Scottsdale Fire.
“Chief Early has been an integral part of protecting Scottsdale for many years,” said Fire Chief Tom Shannon. “He clearly has a heart for this community.”
Early began serving the City of Scottsdale in 1989 with the Rural/Metro Fire Department. He joined SFD in 2005 as the Battalion Chief of Special Operations. He served as a field BC before promoting to Division Chief in 2013. His last position was as the Resources Deputy Chief
“One of the challenges our department has as we move into the future is replacing the institutional knowledge of people like Joseph Early,” Chief Shannon said. “His experience spans to every nook and cranny of the fire service, especially special operations. We are working hard to expertly train the firefighters coming in now to fill his shoes.”
Early earned his Associate of Applied Science in Fire Science from Scottsdale Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Administration from Grand Canyon University. He also earned a certificate of completion from the Bob Ramsey Executive Education Management and Leadership Institute. He has earned professional certifications as a Paramedic, Hazardous Materials Technician, Technical Rescue Technician, Aircraft Rescue Firefighter, Fire instructor II, ACLS instructor, BTLS/PHTLS instructor, Hazardous Materials First Responder-Operations instructor, Response to Terrorism instructor and CERT instructor.
“We wish great things for Chief Early,” said Shannon. “He deserves it!”
