Leaving the brotherhood and sisterhood of a fire department is a significant milestone that allows those retiring to reminisce about the years they have spent with their coworkers, which most times are more like family.
Gibby Gorman, a battalion chief of the Maricopa Fire and Medical Department, is celebrating his retirement, with Thursday being the last day of his 32-year career.
Gorman knew that he wanted to become a firefighter since high school, as he visited the fire station on an Operation Footsteps program, which allows students to visit the workplace of their dream jobs. He then applied and received a firefighter position in Tempe, a spot only five out of 2,000 candidates were offered. He spent 26 years at the department in Tempe and decided to take up the offer when MFMD was in need of a battalion chief. He served that role for B Shift, supervising four trucks at the four stations in Maricopa.