Chief Alan Brunacini has been a member of the Phoenix Fire Department since 1958. After holding the positions of firefighter, engineer, captain, battalion chief, and assistant chief over the course of his first 20 years, he was promoted to chief of the department in 1978. Today he heads an operation with more than 1,700 personnel that serves over one million customers. At the end of July, he retires from that position.

Brunacini's accomplishments over his nearly-five-decade career with the fire service are too numerous to mention, ranging from chairing the NFPA's Fire Service Occupational Safety and Health Committee, which was responsible for the development of NFPA 1500, to authoring several books, including Fire Command.

But “Bruno” is perhaps best known in the fire service for his focus on the individuals who make up the communities served by the firefighters he directs. His “Mrs. Smith” has come to represent the universal customer of the fire service, and the mission statement of the Phoenix Fire Department — “Prevent Harm … Survive … Be Nice” — is pure Brunacini.

Looking back, what strikes you as significant or memorable during your career in the fire service?

To me, the most significant thing has been the continual improvement in the way that Phoenix firefighters treat customers. When you think about it, treating the customer right is the sum and substance of a fire department.

What's the biggest challenge today?

The city of Phoenix is the fastest-growing place in the country. It has been all my career. We have chased, are chasing, and probably always will chase its growth and development and expansion.

They tell me than in 15 or 20 years or something like that, the city will be a continuous development from Tucson to Flagstaff. When you think about that as a fire chief, you start to shake your head.

Quite a challenge. Will technology help?

Technology is in place to make humans more effective. But everything that we deliver is done by the real, live, boots-on-the-ground firefighter. Now clearly there's a lot of technology that helps and supports that firefighter and makes him more effective, but I've never received a letter from a customer complimenting us on our technology.

Were the issues you dealt with when you first became chief in 1978 at all similar to what you deal with today?

They were quite different. We had a period of very active program development during the 1970s and 1980s. We were developing EMS and special operations and incident command … and trying to get our bearings on safety. Later in that process we discovered “Mrs. Smith,” and that began a whole new adventure. My role has changed a great deal since I first became chief.

But firefighting still is a contact sport. We have better equipment, better protection for the firefighters, and more command and control, but when you look at the business end of it, it still is sending a firefighter into a burning building to engage the fire. That hasn't changed in almost 300 years. We certainly do it a lot better, but the basic act is pretty much the same.

You'd agree, though, that fire departments today deliver a broader range of services. Is it a much more of a challenge to the chief to be in charge of such a broad operation?

Absolutely! And to the firefighters, too — they're the ones who do it. Everybody has got to come to the table with a whole expanded approach to what we do.

But I think the Phoenix Fire Department is a typical fire department. And we have enormously capable workers. I haven't seen anything you can't train a firefighter to do. Describe it in sensible terms, give them the training and the tools, then get the hell out of their way. When they're finished, tell them how they did. It's pretty simple when you think about it.

What advice would you give someone who is putting on a white helmet for the first time?

Always be kind. For bosses, there is nothing more important than that. You'll be in a position where you'll have a lot of choices. There is enough cruel, sad stuff going on in the world. Bosses can bring authentic, positive kindness to organizations.

Have a good attitude. Your attitude is something you control, and a lot of the way you approach each day has to do with your view of the world.

Finally, never give up. Being a chief is a long-term sort of thing. Cultural change takes 10 years in fire departments — if you think that you're going to change things in three months, you're living in a dream world.

That's it: Be kind, have a good attitude, and never give up.