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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.

Joe Shanahan

Joe has been dedicated to ensure that he is a role model and trend setter when it comes to self discipline and company pride since he joined in 2016. Joe has run and built our recruit school to what it is today. Joe is also pivotal in ensuring that Engine Company 12 is always combat ready with confident and disciplined crews at all times. Joe is a Trooper with the Delaware State Police. 

Joe was awarded the Delaware Heroic Firemans Award for locating and removing a semi conscious victim from the second floor of a working building fir.


Positions Held

2025 - Assistant Chief (Staffing)

2024 - Assistant Chief (Staffing)

2023 - Assistant Chief (Staffing)

2022 - Assistant Chief (Staffing)

2021 - Director

2021 - Captain

2020 - Director

2020 - Captain

2019 - Captain

2018 - Captain