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May 3, 2008 - 9:43PM
Colleagues reflect on former Chandler fire chief
Comments | RecommendMike Branom, Tribune
When Chandler fire Chief Jim Roxburgh hung up his gear for the final time last week, he left behind a happy department that was successfully riding out the city's population boom.
A national search for a new chief has begun, acting Chief Tom Carlson said, with the goal of a late-summer hire who will lead the 229-person agency.
Perhaps as a symbol of change, groundbreaking for the department's new headquarters is scheduled to take place shortly before then.
Carlson and a union official agree the person who will move into the chief's office will inherit an agency in good financial shape, considering the economic woes besetting the Valley, and free of labor troubles.
"Morale is high," said Capt. Scott Wall, president of the Chandler chapter of the United Phoenix Firefighters Association.
Roxburgh deserves credit for that, Wall and Carlson said. Wall recalled a department once beset by an "us-versus-them" atmosphere while disputes raged over pay and personnel matters. Then, the new chief took over.
"He cared enough and was smart enough to change and move - and keep things that were important," Wall said.
Added Carlson: "He did build a good foundation for us."
Crucial to the department's success was preparing for Chandler's explosive growth. In 1990, the population was 30,000; today there are more than 240,000 residents spread over 72 square miles.
Growth is slowing, but continues.
Although the city's center and western reaches are built out, homes continue to spring up in the relatively undeveloped southeast.
When Roxburgh took over, Carlson said, the city had but one fire station. Now the department has 10, another two in the master plan, plus buildings for training, administration and support services.
So, what's the best thing a new chief can do? According to Wall, continue Roxburgh's good work.
"We're looking for a chief that understands our culture and wants to continue it," Wall said. "It's the culture of inclusion; all of us have bought in and work together. That's what's made us so strong."
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