Forest Lakes Chief Rodriquez

recieves high honors from AFCA

08/11/10

It was made clear in his nomination that he is a man who knows how to build success, but for Forest Lakes Fire Department Chief Dave Rodriquez it is also his sincere dedication to the fire services as well as inspirational leadership that has made him exemplary.

Chief Rodriquez not only wears the Chief hat in Forest Lakes, but also that of Gilbert Fire Department Battalion Chief as well. To honor his valiant work, Chief Rodriquez was nominated this year for the Arizona Chief Fire Officer of the Year award. Dave’s career began in 1980 as a volunteer firefighter with the Rural Metro Fire Department. It is noted on the wall within the Gilbert Historical Museum that Dave Rodriquez was the very first paid municipal firefighter in Gilbert back in 1985.

Prior to being hired on with the Town of Gilbert in 1992, Chief Rodriquez held many positions with the Rural Metro Fire Department. He achieved the rank of Lead Firefighter (Captain) and acted as Shift Commander, and was responsible for Rural Metro’s and Maricopa County’s Reserve Programs. Dave was Firefighter of the Year in 1981, 1984 and again in 1987.

It was the goal of the members of the Forest Lakes Fire District to show that they care enough about Chief Rodriquez to want others to understand his significant contributions to their community. To demonstrate this they expressed in a letter to the Arizona Fire Chiefs Association what the Chief has done to better their community.

“In June of 2008,” the letter explained, “the Forest Lakes Fire District was in bad shape, and we were concerned for the stability and safety of our town. Ours is a small community, where neighbors are co-workers and friends are volunteers.

We were suffering, however, having been through three Fire Chiefs in four years. The department’s heart and soul was broken, our accountability was beyond repair and our mountain community was desperate for help and leadership.

During this time, members of our community had been in touch with Dave Rodriquez, who was and remains Battalion Fire Chief for the Town of Gilbert. Owning land in Forest Lakes, Chief Rodriquez knew the area, the locals and its challenges. We were able to persuade Chief Rodriquez to accept a six-month role of Interim Fire Chief and began to see results almost immediately.

Within those first six months, Chief Rodriquez had brought our training up to par with those of state and federal standards, developed, implemented and activated a staffing model of 24/7 – 365 day paramedic and firefighter coverage and brought in professional paramedic and fire fighting personnel to better train our on duty staff who in turn trained our on call staff. Departmental morale was boosted and remains high thanks to Chief Rodriquez’s desire to empower our department leaders and staff, allowing personnel to participate in and take ownership of its department and its responsibility. The buy-in for this tactic is strong, and both personnel and residents believe in and support the mission, visions and goals of the Forest lakes Fire Department in ways never seen previously.

More importantly, Chief Rodriquez brought our community leaders together. Members of the Owner’s Association, Sheriff’s Department and the Water Department work in tandem to ensure our safety and training goals are planned appropriately, met and then exceeded. Firefighting is a team activity – few can survive without the aid and knowledge of others, and Chief Rodriquez has seen that we will not be alone moving forward. The Forest Lakes community now works closely with the Black Mesa Ranger District and other adjoining Fire Departments, allowing us all to work together closely, efficiently and smoothly for the safety and security of our respective communities.”

To test this newly refreshed department and relationship Forest Lakes experienced one of the worst snowstorms on record in January.

“Our ability to meet our residents’ needs was proven beyond a doubt in large part due to Chief Rodriquez’s foresight and planning. His proactive approach of bringing in extra personnel prior to the storm meant we were able to provide aid to residents without becoming overwhelmed. His cooperation and leadership with the Coconino County Sheriff’s Department, the United States Forest Service, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, and the Coconino County Emergency Management offices made the work we had to do that much less stressful and made us feel as though we not only knew what we were doing, but that we would be successful at it, as well. We consider ourselves to be lucky to have found a Fire Chief who loves what he does, excels in competency, demonstrates accountability and responds humbly.”

In July, the Arizona Fire Chiefs Association announced that Forest Lakes Fire Department Chief Dave Rodriquez was Arizona Chief Fire Officer of the Year. The Mogollon Connection would like to congratulate Chief Rodriquez on his outstanding achievements and this award demonstrates your true commitment to not only your staff and crews, but your community.


	Forest Lakes Chief Rodriquez recieves high honors from AFCA 08/11/10 It was made clear in his nomination that he is a man who knows how to build success, but for Forest Lakes Fire Department Chief Dave Rodriquez it is also his sincere dedication to the fire services as well as inspirational leadership that has made him exemplary. Chief Rodriquez not only wears the Chief hat in Forest Lakes, but also that of Gilbert Fire Department Battalion Chief as well. To honor his valiant work, Chief Rodriquez was nominated this year for the Arizona Chief Fire Officer of the Year award. Dave’s career began in 1980 as a volunteer firefighter with the Rural Metro Fire Department. It is noted on the wall within the Gilbert Historical Museum that Dave Rodriquez was the very first paid municipal firefighter in Gilbert back in 1985. Prior to being hired on with the Town of Gilbert in 1992, Chief Rodriquez held many positions with the Rural Metro Fire Department. He achieved the rank of Lead Firefighter (Captain) and acted as Shift Commander, and was responsible for Rural Metro’s and Maricopa County’s Reserve Programs. Dave was Firefighter of the Year in 1981, 1984 and again in 1987. It was the goal of the members of the Forest Lakes Fire District to show that they care enough about Chief Rodriquez to want others to understand his significant contributions to their community. To demonstrate this they expressed in a letter to the Arizona Fire Chiefs Association what the Chief has done to better their community. “In June of 2008,” the letter explained, “the Forest Lakes Fire District was in bad shape, and we were concerned for the stability and safety of our town. Ours is a small community, where neighbors are co-workers and friends are volunteers. We were suffering, however, having been through three Fire Chiefs in four years. The department’s heart and soul was broken, our accountability was beyond repair and our mountain community was desperate for help and leadership. During this time, members of our community had been in touch with Dave Rodriquez, who was and remains Battalion Fire Chief for the Town of Gilbert. Owning land in Forest Lakes, Chief Rodriquez knew the area, the locals and its challenges. We were able to persuade Chief Rodriquez to accept a six-month role of Interim Fire Chief and began to see results almost immediately. Within those first six months, Chief Rodriquez had brought our training up to par with those of state and federal standards, developed, implemented and activated a staffing model of 24/7 – 365 day paramedic and firefighter coverage and brought in professional paramedic and fire fighting personnel to better train our on duty staff who in turn trained our on call staff. Departmental morale was boosted and remains high thanks to Chief Rodriquez’s desire to empower our department leaders and staff, allowing personnel to participate in and take ownership of its department and its responsibility. The buy-in for this tactic is strong, and both personnel and residents believe in and support the mission, visions and goals of the Forest lakes Fire Department in ways never seen previously. More importantly, Chief Rodriquez brought our community leaders together. Members of the Owner’s Association, Sheriff’s Department and the Water Department work in tandem to ensure our safety and training goals are planned appropriately, met and then exceeded. Firefighting is a team activity – few can survive without the aid and knowledge of others, and Chief Rodriquez has seen that we will not be alone moving forward. The Forest Lakes community now works closely with the Black Mesa Ranger District and other adjoining Fire Departments, allowing us all to work together closely, efficiently and smoothly for the safety and security of our respective communities.” To test this newly refreshed department and relationship Forest Lakes experienced one of the worst snowstorms on record in January. “Our ability to meet our residents’ needs was proven beyond a doubt in large part due to Chief Rodriquez’s foresight and planning. His proactive approach of bringing in extra personnel prior to the storm meant we were able to provide aid to residents without becoming overwhelmed. His cooperation and leadership with the Coconino County Sheriff’s Department, the United States Forest Service, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, and the Coconino County Emergency Management offices made the work we had to do that much less stressful and made us feel as though we not only knew what we were doing, but that we would be successful at it, as well. We consider ourselves to be lucky to have found a Fire Chief who loves what he does, excels in competency, demonstrates accountability and responds humbly.” In July, the Arizona Fire Chiefs Association announced that Forest Lakes Fire Department Chief Dave Rodriquez was Arizona Chief Fire Officer of the Year. The Mogollon Connection would like to congratulate Chief Rodriquez on his outstanding achievements and this award demonstrates your true commitment to not only your staff and crews, but your community.