Retiring NM Fire Chief Wants to Return to Teaching

Retirement looks very different to Albuquerque Fire Rescue Chief Paul Dow.

He may be stepping away from the department where he has been since 2000, and his role as chief since 2018, but he does plan to keep an iron in the fire at the service.

Dow's last day will be Friday. Deputy Chief Gene Gallegos will serve as interim chief.

Dow began his career as a volunteer with the Rio Rancho Fire Department in 1996 and was hired there a year later. He joined the Albuquerque Fire Department in 2000. As chief, he oversees 729 firefighters, 22 fire stations and a budget of nearly $100 million.

"I'm retiring just because it's time," he said during a recent conversation. "After 25 years, you start doing the math and there are some obvious (financial) benefits to retiring."

Dow, 44, has three children, one of whom is in the Navy, another in high school and the youngest in elementary school. "I just wanted to spend time with them. I think it really hit me when my oldest son went off to the Navy. It was hard and I missed him, and I kind of looked at my other kids a little differently and thought, 'Wow, this life's short.' "

Dow and his wife both grew up in New Mexico and have been talking about a change of scenery, he said. They have family in the North Dallas area, coupled with "an opportunity" in the housing market, so they decided, as a family, to relocate there.

In addition to his regular job responsibilities for the past 13 years, Dow has taught in the fire science program at Central New Mexico Community College.

"I want to go back into teaching in the fire service, and there are lots of colleges out there, and I've had offers to teach online for different organizations. So I'll find something that I like to do," he said.

Starting in 2010, he took the lead in shaping the department's professional development program, which provides career education and training for members of the department.

"We are no longer following other departments; in my opinion, we're leading others in the fire service," he said.

He noted that AFR is the first department in North America to have a mobile ECMO, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, unit for use on people experiencing cardiac arrest. Similar to a heart-lung machine, it pumps and oxygenates a person's blood outside the body, allowing the heart and lungs to rest while the individual is transported to a hospital.

As chief, Dow points out he created 44 additional sworn firefighter positions and a number of additional civilian positions to help staff new programs or expand existing ones. The department has added a behavioral health specialist and several fire inspectors, instituted teams to monitor abandoned and unsafe properties, and created a public affairs office.

Dow also said a hallmark of his administration is a policy that encourages any AFR member from any rank to suggest the department look at new equipment.

"All I asked is that they do a little research, tell me how much it costs, why we should get it, the benefits of it and what training we would need to implement it. And that's really worked really well, because we've had a lot of great ideas come from multiple levels and (have) improved the service that we can provide," he said.

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