By Paul Maryniak
The Arizona Republic
Gilbert Fire Chief Collin DeWitt has announced he will retire May 2, ending a career in which he oversaw the development of at least seven fire stations and grew the town’s firefighting force, stabilized town government at a time of turmoil, and gave Gilbert its own permanent memorial for the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
In a memo Thursday to their staff, town Manager Patrick Banger and his Assistant Town Manager Marc Skocypec hailed DeWitt’s contributions to the town.
“It was in his blood to serve,” they said in a joint statement.
DeWitt’s career has been marked by as many personal accomplishments as his contributions to Gilbert.
He became a Phoenix paramedic in 1973 and rose through the ranks to fire captain, battalion chief, and deputy fire chief until he retired there in 1999 and started as Gilbert’s fire chief two days later. The son of a Phoenix fire captain, DeWitt had joined that city’s department to pay his way through college, where he was studying engineering.
