On May 27 at a special meeting of the Durango Fire Protection District board of directors, Chief Dan Noonan announced his retirement as fire chief of the DFPD effective the end of 2015.
“It is the season and a time for a change,” Noonan said. “It is time for me to transition from being the chief of Durango Fire Rescue to becoming a proud citizen of Durango by Dec. 31. It is time to create more memories with my wife, Ellen, my boys, Jason and Logan, their wives, Shanna and Jennifer, my four grandkids, Chase, McKenna, Bailey, Kailen, and my friends. New possibilities and new adventures lie ahead.”
Noonan will retire after 39 years in the fire service. He spent his first 10 years of service as a volunteer with Animas Fire and Hermosa Cliff Fire and the other 29 as a career member of Hermosa Cliff and Durango Fire Rescue.
Noonan’s service began with a single opportunity, the chance to attend a meeting of the local Animas Fire Department volunteers. After a few years as a volunteer, he realized his avocation was to become a career firefighter and medic. In 1986, his opportunity to do just that arose with Hermosa Cliff, and he has been dedicated to serving the local community ever since.
In 1989, under Noonan’s leadership and direction, the district developed La Plata County’s first fire department-based ambulance transport service. In 1996, Noonan, then the chief of Hermosa Cliff, along with the chief of Animas Fire (Alan Clay) and the City of Durango’s Fire Department (Mike Dunaway), began discussing the creation of a unified district. This process, which would not be completed until 2014 when the Durango Fire Protection District finally began operations as one district, weathered many challenges, including the rejection of two mill levy proposals that were presented five years apart.
Noonan’s steadfast vision of “one fire department serving one community” combined with his true understanding and support of the district membership, the various boards involved, and the community led to the final successful consolidation. In addition, Noonan is a nationally registered paramedic, and in 2014, the Colorado Senate issued a proclamation honoring him for his 20 years of service on the Governor’s State Emergency Medical and Trauma Services Advisory Council.
Day in and day out, Chief Noonan embodies the Durango Fire Protection District’s core values – values such as providing a safe environment for all; being an effective and efficient steward of the community’s resources; and performing all duties with courage, dedication and respect.
Kathleen Morris is a member of the board of directors of the Durango Fire Protection District. Reach her at morriskh@durangofirerescue.org.
