BIO – GARY BYNUM

Fire Chief, Drexel Heights (Retired)

Born and raised in Tucson, Gary started with the Drexel Heights Fire District as a junior firefighter in
1975 as a high school senior, becoming a volunteer firefighter upon turning 18. He went full-time in
1976. Gary worked his way through the ranks, obtaining the rank of Assistant Chief and serving as
interim Chief twice during his career, the final time for over a year. While serving as the officer overseeing annexations, Gary worked closely with area residents to allow the Fire District to expand from its original 8 square miles to its current boundaries. He directed the apparatus committee and served as the project representative for station construction in the later years. Before his retirement in 2012, Drexel Heights effected an administrative reorganization, and the Assistant Chief position was replaced with the position of Division Chief.

Gary attended Pima College throughout his career, obtaining associate degrees and Technical Committee in Fire Science, Emergency Medicine, and General Education. He received a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of Phoenix.

During his career, Gary participated in Rope Rescue, Aircraft Crash Rescue, and Wildland Firefighting. He
responded to many wildland fires both in and out of the state of Arizona, including the 1988 devastating
fire in Yellowstone National Park. He was also the initial Incident Commander for the Old Tucson Fire
until relieved by the Fire Chief for Drexel Heights. He participated in many committees with the Pima County Fire Chiefs organization, including the new Department Identification System still in use today. Gary also worked on the PCWIN radio system, the regional radio system currently used by most fire and police departments within Pima County. He worked on the User Committee and Technical Committee and was the alternate on the Executive Committee. Gary has volunteered for the National Firefighter Memorial Service every year since 2002, traveling to Emmitsburg for the service.

He was appointed to the Drexel Heights Fire District Board in 2014 to fill a vacated seat and then successfully ran for election later that year. He is currently the Board Chairman. He joined the Last Alarm Foundation in 2016 as a driver and was appointed to the Executive Board later that year. He is currently the Treasurer and the Funeral Coordinator. He began volunteering for The Greater Tucson Fire Foundation in 2019 and was elected to the Board in 2023.