As a teenager growing up in Detroit, Mich., Nazih Hazime realized he wanted to be a firefighter.
“I witnessed a large fire at a grocery store at the end of our block,” Hazime said. “And I was watching Detroit Fire Department show up and put it out. I was fascinated by the camaraderie among the firefighters, and the teamwork that was displayed. So I stood there from the beginning to the end of this fire, just watching the whole thing, and said this is what I want to do. At that point I made up my mind.”
Four decades later, Village of Oak Creek resident Hazime is retiring as from the Verde Valley Fire District, which he has led since 2011, effective Wednesday, Sept. 19. It is the end of a long career in firefighting, including leadership positions in Dearborn, Mich., and Sedona.
For many in the community, Hazime’s retirement is not just a change for the fire district, but the loss of a public leader who was a fixture throughout the Verde Valley. Hazime said the best part of his job as chief was interacting with the community. He is on first-name basis with numerous business owners in Cottonwood, and said he always enjoyed ensuring that people were informed about fire safety.
“He loves engaging with the community,” Hazime’s wife Laurie said. “People want to take him out to lunch or breakfast just to take him out to tell him what he means the community. That’s not the reason he does this, of course. But he always wants to know the community he works in.”
Hazime said even though he knew early on he wanted to spend his life fighting fires, he still never expected to end up in command. After witnessing that fire in Detroit, Hazime approached the fire chief in Dearborn and asked how he could become a firefighter. He followed the chief’s advice of going to college for fire science and joined the force at age 24.
Two decades later, Hazime said he was shocked when he found out the chief in Dearborn was retiring, and recommending he take over the department. Hazime became chief of the Dearborn Fire Department in 2004.
Hazime and his wife still have family in Michigan, as well as a house on the shores of Lake Huron. At 58, Hazime said he and his wife look forward to a being able to relax. He said he is ready to stop waking up every morning at 3 a.m., and glad he could get out before he developed health problems that often go with long careers in firefighting.
The couple is also looking forward to spending more time together, splitting time between summers in Michigan and other parts of the year in Arizona.
“We’re both excited to be able to share a life together in Michigan when we’re in Michigan or in Sedona when we’re in Sedona,” said Laurie Hazime, speaking of plans to hike, bicycle and work in the yard together.
The Hazimes originally moved to the Verde Valley as a means of relaxation. The two had been to the area on vacation before, and decided that after 25 years of fighting building fires in the urban environment of Dearborn, the beauty of Arizona could allow for a semi-retired lifestyle. Hazime applied to an opening at the Sedona Fire District in 2009, beating out 52 candidates to get the job.
In 2011, Hazime retired from the Sedona Fire District after a bout of political turmoil. Though he expected to end his career then, the Verde Valley Fire District soon asked him if he was interested in taking over.
Despite the friction while he was chief there, Hazime has stayed close with the Sedona Fire District since he left. He was elected a member of the board shortly after he left, and retains a good relationship with Kris Kazian, the current chief in Sedona.
“As a peer, it has been an honor to work alongside him on many different projects in the Sedona/Verde Valley [area] as fire chiefs,” Kazian wrote in an email. “His vision and interest to push ourselves to be better first responders and public stewards of our mission was always appreciated.”
In addition to Sedona, Hazime’s time as the Verde Valley chief meant working in close alignment with fire departments from all over the area, including Copper Canyon, Cottonwood and the U.S. Forest Service for the Prescott and Coconino national forests.
Hazime developed a close relationship with Joe Moore, who served Fire Chief for the Town of Clarkdale before that was assimilated into the Verde Valley Fire District two years ago. Moore served since then as Hazime’s assistant chief, will take over as interim chief with Hazime leaving, and is Hazime’s top recommendation for the board to become his permanent successor.
Hazime said while dealing with fires here has lacked the stress of high rise building fires, it has nevertheless come with its own challenges, including wildfires and dry seasons, as well as frequently helping hikers stuck on mountains in the area.
For Hazime’s wife, support for her husband has nevertheless come with the worry of him working in such a dangerous profession.
“He wanted to fight fires, he wanted to be part of the team,” Laurie Hazime said. “It always concerned me, because he was always a go-getter. I never let him know it until he was promoted to chief in Dearborn. I was very relieved at that point that I knew he wouldn’t be going into the fire first.”
Even as he looks forward to retirement, Hazime said he laments the end of a job he loved for so long.
“It’s been a great career, and I’m very fortunate to have found what I wanted to do early on in life, and then fulfill it,” Hazime said. “My career path never included a fire chief’s position. I thought I was going to retire as a captain or a battalion chief. And when the chief’s position was brought to me, I’ve never looked back. It gave me an opportunity to do much more with my career than just fight fires.”
Jon Hecht can be reached at 634-8551, or email jhecht@larsonnewspapers.com
