Larry Rooney

Larry Rooney is a second generation firefighter who has been in the fire service for over 35 years. Chief Rooney started his career in Southern California working as a reserve firefighter for the City of Huntington Beach, California. Chief Rooney then was hired as a full time firefighter in Peoria, Arizona where he rose through the ranks to Deputy Fire Chief where he oversaw every division of the department and led their successful quest for Professional Fire Accreditation.

Chief Rooney also served eight years on the Arizona Fire Chiefs Association executive board, serving three of those years as President. Chief Rooney then served six years as Fire Chief for the City of Lodi, California, where he was successful in establishing labor relations, improving emergency communications, physical resources as well as developing the organization’s succession plan. In 2017, Larry returned to Arizona, and is now serving as the Assistant Fire Chief for Avondale Fire and Medical Department.

Chief Rooney holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, from Grand Canyon University, Masters in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University, received a Fellowship to attend the Senior Executives for State and Local Governments course at Harvard University. Larry is a graduate from the Executive Fire Officer Program from the National Fire Academy and is certified as a Chief Fire Officer from the Commission on Professional Credentialing and a Certified Public Manager from Arizona State University.