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New Port Richey Fire Chief Retiring After 30 Years

Klint Lowry/SUNCOAST

As New Port Richey City Manager Thomas O'Neill, left, and Mayor Scott McPherson look on, Fire and Emergency Services Chief Daniel Azzariti thanks a council chamber full of friends, colleagues and city officials for their words of praise and good wishes as he approaches retirement after 30-plus years with the city.

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By KLINT LOWRY | The Suncoast News

Published: September 19, 2008

Updated:

NEW PORT RICHEY - As farewells go, the one bestowed at Tuesday's City Council meeting could prove hard to top. Fire and Emergency Services Chief Daniel Azzariti was the man in the spotlight.

The Sept. 16 session was the last regularly scheduled council meeting before Azzariti's retirement, effective Oct. 1.

Azzariti started with the New Port Richey Fire Department on Feb. 13, 1978, and became the city's director of emergency services in 1995.

A large contingent of firefighters turned out Tuesday to join family, friends and city officials to show their professional appreciation and personal fondness.

"I cannot speak highly enough of him in terms of his professionalism, in terms of his warmth, and his patience, as well," City Manager Thomas O'Neill said. "He is probably one of the most accommodating and customer service-oriented people that I can think of. He will be a hard act to follow."

From a practical point of view, O'Neill said, Azzariti will leave behind an impressive professional legacy.

"During his tenure, Chief Azzariti has seen the department transition from a first responder agency to an advanced life support provider," O'Neill said. "The city's ISO classification has been reduced during his tenure, going from a Class 5 to a Class 3."

ISO classification is a 1-to-10 rating system of communities' fire protection services, with a 1 being the highest rating. Insurance companies use the system to determine fire insurance premium rates.

The two-level ISO rating scale improvement by New Port Richey reduced the cost of fire insurance for home and business owners throughout the city, O'Neill said.

O'Neill and Mayor Scott McPherson presented Azzariti with the city's official token of esteem, a plaque commemorating his years of service.

Less formally, each member of the council related firsthand experiences serving on committees and in city departments in which they had direct dealings with Azzariti. All echoed the comments from the mayor and city manager on Azzariti's combination of professionalism and the personal touch he brought to the job.

After O'Neill and McPherson presented him with the plaque and the council got their chance to sing Azzariti's praises, Azzariti returned the compliment to the present and past councils he's served with, and particularly to the people in his own department.

"I've had the opportunity to work with the greatest men and women in the fire service," Azzariti said. "These people have treated me wonderfully my entire career. There's not a lot of people who can come to work every day and actually love the people you work with. I want to thank everybody for doing that for me."

Later during the council meeting, O'Neill announced Fire Marshal Alex Onishenko, a 20-year veteran, has been named to take over as interim chief as of Oct. 1. A permanent appointment will be made within 90 days after that, the city manager said.

Azzariti gave Onishenko his vote of confidence, saying it made it easier to step down knowing the department would be in good hands.

After the meeting, Azzariti said it's a rare thing to work for a city for a shade over three decades and walk away with this much mutual admiration and respect.

"It's been a wonderful career," he said. "I've loved the department since I came here. It's been a second family to me."

Azzariti is walking away with a little more than goodwill and a plaque to remember his career by. Among his immediate retirement plans is to work on a special keepsake.

He recently bought the first Fire Department vehicle he worked on, a 1974 Dodge/Saulsbury Mini Pumper that preceded him into retirement from the department.

Azzariti has it in his back yard and is hoping to have it fully restored in time for next year's Chasco Fiesta.

Klint Lowry can be reached at 727-815-1067 or klowry@suncoastnews.com.

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