Career Staff

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Career Staff

Christiana hired its first two full-time Firefighter/EMTs in 1994 to offset daily Fire/EMS staffing. Over the past 30 years we have gradually increased our career staff to 35 full-time employees.

In 2004 Christiana Career Staff started the first I.A.F.F. Union Local in Delaware for combination department firefighters, which has grown to over 150 members throughout New Castle County, also followed suite in Kent and Sussex Counties with their own locals.

CFC was the first combination department in the state to promote career employees into the officer ranks in 2012 with our first Career Assistant Chief, followed by our first Career Lieutenants in 2015.

Our career staff work seamlessly alongside of our volunteer officers and members to ensure we have a minimum of 1 Duty Chief, 1 Engine, 1 Ladder, and 3 BLS units staffed 24/7, 365.

Christiana strives to be the example of a successful combination system for our state and nation.

We currently employ:

1 Career Assistant Chief, 3 Captains, 1 Lieutenant, 16 Firefighters, 12 EMTs, a full-time administrator and a full-time mechanic. CFC also employs over 30 part time EMTs for BLS staffing.

Our Career Fire/EMS work a 4 Platoon rotation of 24hrs on and 72 hrs off. Each shift has 1 Capt./Lt. (Shift Commander), with 4 Firefighter/EMTs & 3 BLS EMTs.

Dennis Godek

Hired in 2012, Dennis is assigned as our Assistant Chief of Career Services and C/O of all paid Fire/EMS personnel. Dennis is also the 2016 President of the New Castle County Fire Chief's Association. He is a Life Member of the Elsmere Fire Company, having served since 1970. He has served Elsmere as Secretary, Ambulance Captain, Engine Captain, Assistant Chief, Deputy Chief and Fire Chief. Dennis retired from the New Castle County Police in 1998 as a Captain after 24 years of service with assignment to multiple commands including Commander of Criminal Investigations and Commander of Patrol. He started his career with NCC as a Fire Dispatcher in 1974. Since retirement from NCCPD Dennis has served as Town Manager of Elsmere for 2-1/2 years, worked for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, served as Vice President of a Public Safety Consulting firm in New Jersey, conducted Federal Security Clearance Investigations for the DOD, U.S. Customs, and NSA, and served as the Supervisory F/F-EMT at the Cranston Heights Fire Company. Dennis has three children and 3 grandchildren.

Dennis retired as the Assistant Chief of Career Services on Sept. 30, 2022 after 10 years of service to CFC. Dennis was made an honorary member upon his retirement.