By Burdick for Glendale Mayor
Mark Burdick has spent over 32 years in public service. An Arizona native, Burdick began working for the City of Glendale as a firefighter in 1983. He served as a paramedic, captain and ultimately spent more than 12 years as the fire chief.
During his career, he has had numerous notable accomplishments, with programs that received recognition beyond the city limits. Burdick may be best known for his ability to create sustainable public/private partnerships, from working with a medical university where a two-person station was built on campus, to providing personnel for an air-ambulance operation that significantly reduced response times.
As fire chief, Burdick oversaw the building of a public safety training facility with four Valley partners, creating a true regional training center. Luke Air Force Base personnel worked with Burdick to pilot a first-of-its-kind dual staffed fire engine, operated at the base’s fire department that utilized two Glendale firefighters and two Luke Air Force firefighters.
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His outreach and involvement with the community is significant as a member of numerous local boards and committees. Burdick served on two Governor appointed committees: the Central Region Advisory Council and the Arizona State Fire Safety Committee. Additionally, he was the President of the Arizona Fire Chief’s Association and remains on the executive board today.
Throughout his tenure, he has been involved in numerous professional associations. His experience includes overseeing emergency preparedness and providing fire and emergency medical services for two Super Bowl’s, as well as numerous large scale events and activities that drew national attention.
Today, Burdick operates his own consulting business, is the Fire Science Program Director at Estrella Mountain Community College and continues to remain involved locally. He serves on the Abrazo Arrowhead Hospital Campus Board of Trustees, the Glendale Salvation Army Board of Directors and is a member of the “Blue Blazer Squadron,” an elite group under Fighter Country Partnership, a non-profit entity dedicated to the men and women who serve Luke Air Force Base. Burdick is a member of ASU West’s Community Advisory Committee, the Glendale Chamber of Commerce and was recently appointed to the Glendale General Plan Steering Committee.
Burdick is a long time resident of Glendale, with his wife of 19 years, Colleen, and their two daughters, Hannah, 14, and Danielle, 13. He also has two grown sons who reside out of state.