By Michael Davidson
The Daily Camera
NORTH METRO, Colo. — The longtime chief of the North Metro Fire Rescue District is stepping down after 22 years in the agency’s top job.
Chief John O’Hayre will retire June 26, North Metro announced on Wednesday.
O’Hayre started his career as a volunteer with the district in 1972. He was hired as a professional firefighter five years later.
When he started his career, the district, then known as the West Adams County Fire, had three stations, each staffed by a single on-duty firefighter.
The district now has seven stations, with an eighth under construction. It also has a state-of-the-art training facility, which opened last year.
North Metro has 89 firefighters and about 30 other staff in administrative positions. During O’Hayre’s tenure, the force transitioned from one staffed mostly by volunteers to a fully professional force.
O’Hayre also was the driving force behind Broomfield’s 9/11 memorial.
While O’Hayre won’t point to a single achievement as his biggest, expanding the district’s staff to keep up with the area’s growth will be his legacy.
“Whether it was the new FlatIron retail complex, the creation of Broomfield City and County or bringing the airport into our coverage area, I’m extremely proud of North Metro’s ability to keep pace with our community’s needs while also managing to raise our service quality,” O’Hayre said.
Broomfield City and County Manager George Di Ciero is one of the area’s few civil servants with a longer tenure than O’Hayre. He praised O’Hayre for his professionalism and commitment to the public,
O’Hayre said he has yet to decide what to do during his retirement. He knows he will miss the job.
“It’s a bittersweet feeling. You spend 37 years of your life doing something you love and enjoy, then you take another direction for the rest of your life,” he said.
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