Fire Chief
Scottsdale
Scottsdale, Arizona
Tom Shannon began his emergency services career in 1982 working in pre-hospital medicine as an EMT/Paramedic. He was hired as a Glendale firefighter/paramedic in 1988. He rose through the ranks quickly and was promoted to Captain in 1997. As a Captain served as a HazMat Paramedic, Recruit Training Officer and Incident Safety Officer. In 2001, Tom was promoted to the rank of Battalion Chief and assumed responsibility for the newly formed Office of Emergency Management (OEM). Tom has served on numerous local, regional and state committees related to emergency management and homeland security including the Governors Homeland Security Advisory Council post 9-11 under then Governor Janet Napolitano.
Tom promoted to Assistant Chief in 2004. During his tenure as Assistant Fire Chief he over saw all areas of Fire Operations, Logistics and Major Event Planning including the fire service response to Super Bowl XLII.
In 2008 Chief Shannon retired from the Glendale Fire Department to become Fire Chief in Salt Lake City, UT where he led that organization through significant organizational and fire service changes. Renowned for his visionary and genuine management style, Chief Shannon redefined the SLCFD’s culture before returning to Arizona in late 2009.
Tom joined the Scottsdale Fire Department as the City’s Emergency Manager in 2009 and was promoted to Executive Assistant Fire Chief in 2011. He was appointed Fire Chief in October of 2012 and oversees all areas of fire service delivery in Scottsdale. His primary focus is to assure the consistency in services as Scottsdale Fire embarks on the turn over of its inaugural firefighters. In the next 5 to 6 years he will see 160 of 280 sworn personnel retire. This level of attrition is as unprecedented as the formation of the municipal department in July of 2005.
Tom attained a Bachelor of Science in Zoology and Master’s Degree in Education/Leadership from Northern Arizona University and Masters of Arts degree in Security Studies, from the Center for Homeland Defense and Security from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA.
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Friday, August 26, 2022
10:15 AM – 11:15 AM