The Scottsdale Fire Department is facing a period of heavy retirements in the next five years, but Northwest Valley fire services are on a firm footing with staff.
Scottsdale is a fairly new city department, having been creating July 1, 2005 after purchasing that portion of Rural Metro, including infrastructure and staff. Tom Shannon has been the Scottsdale fire chief since 2011. He has known from that time the department would face high retirement numbers beginning next year. Scottsdale will see 49 of 69 captains and 41 or 69 engineers retire by 2025.
Northwest Valley fire services are on a more stable footing, due partly to having longer operating histories. All agencies have an additional advantage — the Deferred Retirement Option Plan.