Remembering Chief Dan Contini

PALMER — After nearly four decades of showing up to serve the city of Palmer, residents of Palmer showed up to honor Fire Chief Dan Contini at the last alarm service, processional and ceremony on Saturday. The route traveled from Pioneer Peak Elementary into Palmer past fire station 3-1 bearing Contini’s name, and finished along the traditional parade route. As dozens of Fire engines from across southcentral Alaska drove past the fire station, Palmer Fire and Rescue personnel all stood and saluted.

“He was an outstanding city employee and an outstanding community member,” said Mayor Edna DeVries. “He was a very caring man and so that showed up in all of the things that he did.”

Contini served Palmer as fire chief for nearly 35 years before retiring in 2008. As Contini first took the job as chief, now Mayor DeVries was serving as the city treasurer. DeVries said that Contini served as not only the fire chief, but the city building inspector for many years.

Fire Engines from Anchorage, Chugiak, Talkeetna, West Lakes, Central Mat-Su and Sutton Fire Departments all drove in the procession to honor Chief Contini. The last alarm was called for Chief Contini at the MTA Events Center.

Deputy Chief with Palmer Fire and Rescue Dave Lundin first came to work for Contini in 2000. Lundin said that Chief Contini offered valuable leadership and made an effort to provide the service of fire protection to the residents of Palmer frugally.

“The greater Palmer area really benefited from his direction and his leadership and ability to do a lot with a little,” said Lundin. “I knew that if he was telling me to do something at a fire scene, that that was the right thing to do. He had our best interests at heart. The fire fighter safety, we were his people, we were his. We were not just staff or employees, we were each important to him.”

Contini served a stint on the Mat-Su Borough School Board and provided fire safety education programs throughout the year. Contini’s fire and school bus safety programs in Mat-Su Borough schools spread beyond the Palmer Fire Service Area.

“Our job is to put the fire out, but If we could’ve prevented it in the first place that’s the best way so he spent a lot of time and effort on fire prevention and public education and took that beyond fire to the school bus safety as well,” said Lundin.

A Palmer High School scholarship for college freshmen has been established in Contini’s name.