Alex Rodriguez, retired fire chief, was remembered Thursday as a humble family man who led the Santa Fe Springs Department of Fire-Rescue to being one of the state’s top departments.
“He brought an outside vision and a level of professionalism that was valued by the members of the department and the city,” said SFS Fire-Rescue Chief Mike Crook of his predecessor inside Our Church of Heritage at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Covina.
“He was a progressive leader who implemented a number of programs and changes to build this department into an elite department known throughout the state and the nation,” he said.
Rodriguez, 52, died Sept. 15 from an undisclosed illness, after retiring in November 2012 after 31 years of working in several fire departments.
He began his career as a paramedic with the Los Angeles City Fire Department in 1981 and also worked for Palos Verdes Estates Fire, Bakersfield Fire, Orange County Fire, Riverside Fire and Cathedral City Fire prior to being hired by West Covina, where he served for 14 years. Just before taking the job in Santa Fe Springs, he was deputy chief of the Rancho Cucamonga Fire Department.
Rodriguez’s hiring in Santa Fe Springs was an anomaly, Crook said.
“When Alex was hired, it was the first time in the city’s history that someone outside of the department was named chief,” he said. “He was a smart man who made his mark right away with renaming the department to fire-rescue.”