Chief John Murphy has announced he will retire from service in March 2017 after 12 years as Carrollton’s Fire Chief.
Murphy began his career in Fire Service as a Certified Fire Fighter for the City of Arlington, where he served 32 years and retired as an Assistant Chief/Fire Marshal. Murphy was named Chief of Carrollton Fire Rescue in 2004 and immediately instilled a spirit of service through excellence. Under his leadership, the mission of Carrollton Fire Rescue has been to provide the citizens and visitors of Carrollton a well-trained team of professionals to protect their life and property through emergency prevention, education, code compliance, EMS, fire suppression, rescue, and emergency management in a safe and cost-effective manner.
During his tenure, Murphy has overseen the construction of Carrollton’s Fire Station Eight, helped lead the consolidation of dispatching operations for Carrollton, Addison, Coppell, and Farmers Branch at the North Texas Emergency Communications Center (NTECC), as well as coordinated the transition of the City’s radio network to a new P-25 system. Murphy also spearheaded the effort for Carrollton Fire Rescue to achieve a Class 1 Public Protection Classification (PPC) from the Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO) for its improved fire protection capabilities. This rating is the highest possible and drives the City to the top 1 percent of all communities classified by the ISO.
Additionally, in early December 2016, members of the department received the American Heart Association’s Heart Saver award for their successful work on a recent cardiopulmonary resuscitation case. Under Chief Murphy’s leadership, the department has earned the highest CPR save rate among members of the Dallas area Resuscitation Outcome Consortium (ROC) under the direction of the UT Southwestern Medical School; it continues to strive for excellence through training and protocol improvement.
“Leaving the City and the people I love and respect, and the fire service profession, which I have been a part of for nearly 50 years, is bittersweet,” Murphy said. “I want to leave thanking the members of Carrollton Fire Rescue for the dedication they show every day. Each member of our team, in their varied roles, provides an exceptional level of professional service to our citizens and visitors. I have been blessed to walk among them.”
Murphy said he will leave very proud to have been a Carrolton firefighter and that it has been his honor and privilege to serve as fire chief for Carrolton Fire Rescue.
Over the years as Carrollton expanded, Murphy was able to oversee and manage the growth of the department to meet the needs of a growing City. Such efforts have included the addition of emergency management staff, two additional ambulance units, and a second ladder Truck Company to address the City’s mounting call volume.
“It’s going to be very hard to say goodbye to Chief Murphy, but we know that he leaves us in very good shape because of the intrinsic traits he has exemplified: high moral standards, fairness, hard work, and ethics,” said Assistant Chief Mark Haseloff. “I can’t thank Chief Murphy enough for his years of leadership, guidance, and contributions that he has provided for Carrollton Fire Rescue; he has been an asset to the City and touched all of us deeply.”
Haseloff went on to say CFR provides excellent service to the citizens of Carrollton because of Murphy’s guidance and vision of service. “We wish him the best for his retirement years.”
“Chief Murphy’s character, strong leadership, and dedication to both the members of CFR and the citizens they serve have personified the Carrollton Difference,” City Manager Erin Rinehart said. “His example will continue to inspire those in the department and the organization long after his final day in office.”
Murphy’s retirement is effective the end of March. The City is currently in the search for his replacement.
