Verde Valley Fire District Chief Nazih Hazime announced Thursday, July 19, that he will be retiring in September.
“With a heavy heart I am informing you that I will be retiring from the Verde Valley Fire District on Sept. 19,” Hazime stated in a press release. “I have been blessed to be a part of the fire service for 34 years and of those years, 14 as a fire chief.”
“I have seen many positive changes throughout my career and I have met many professional people throughout the country, mostly in Michigan and Arizona,” he stated. “The majority of them became friends.”
“I could not have ended my career any better than leaving with positive memories from the Verde Valley Fire District family,” Hazime stated. “I thank the Board of Directors for putting their trust in me and allowing me to work with such professional and wonderful people within VVFD.”
“Mostly, I would like to thank my wife Laurie for her ongoing support of 23 years,” he stated. “This has been truly a great experience. Thank you all for your friendships and support throughout my seven years with VVFD.”
Prior to joining the Verde Valley Fire District in September 2011, Hazime was fire chief of the Sedona Fire District from September 2009 to August 2010, fire chief of the Dearborn Fire Department in Dearborn, Mich., from February 2004 to July 2009, and a Dearborn firefighter for 24 years from 1984 to 2009.
Hazime also served in elected office. In May 2012, three members of the SFD Governing Board were removed in a recall election. Hazime was elected to replace Charles Christensen, defeating him in a overwhelming vote of 63.31 percent to 36.54 percent, the biggest win of all three challengers.
In 2015 Hazime resigned from the SFD Governing Board to focus his efforts as fire chief of VVFD.
Larson Newspapers will publish a retrospective article about Hazime’s tenure in the Verde Valley and with VVFD as his retirement date nears.
