Ryan Freeburg was selected as the City of Glendale, AZ Fire Chief in September 2022 and took the helm on October 10, 2022. He is a seasoned firefighter and leader who came to Glendale with 26 years of fire service experience. Ryan is a member of the City’s executive team assigned to direct the operational, administrative, and managerial staff involved in the functions of the Glendale Fire Department. He sets goals, policies, procedures and represents the city in relationships with outside agencies as well as with community groups and the public.

The City of Glendale Fire Department serves a dense, urban community with a population of over 250,000 within the Phoenix Metropolitan Region sharing 26 contiguous miles of border with the City of Phoenix, AZ. The City of Glendale is home to the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals at the State Farm Stadium and the IFL’s Arizona Rattlers at the Desert Diamond Arena. These venues allow for hosting signature events such as the Super Bowl, Final Four, Fiesta Bowl, and mega concerts like Taylor Swift.
The Glendale, AZ Fire Department has an approximate $70M budget with 300+ employees providing all-hazards services from nine fire station including fire suppression, fire-based emergency medical services, basic and advanced life support, hazardous materials, technical rescue, threat liaison program, UAS, SWAT Medics, community risk reduction, fire inspection, fire investigation, code enforcement, plan review, and an annual call volume of 44,000 incidents. The Glendale Fire Department is also one of five regional training centers in the Phoenix Metropolitan Region, for both fire and law enforcement, with the Glendale Regional Public Safety Training Center.
Ryan spent the early years of his career as a field firefighter, beginning in 1996 as a reserve firefighter with Rural/Metro before becoming a full-time firefighter and paramedic in 1998. Freeburg developed a deep understanding of the fire service and emergency response models and would later receive a promotion to Captain. Ryan was a charter member for the City of Scottsdale, AZ Fire Department when they municipalized their fire department in 2005. While there, Freeburg rose through the ranks, serving as Battalion Chief and Deputy Chief before becoming an Assistant Chief in 2012. Prior to the fire service, Freeburg was drafted by the Colorado Rockies baseball organization in 1992 following his time at Grand Canyon University. He spent three seasons in the Rockies minor league system before transitioning from the ball field to the firehouse.
Freeburg holds a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Management from University of Phoenix, a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Safety Administration from Grand Canyon University, an Associate of Science degree in Advanced EMT from Scottsdale Community College and an Associate of Science degree in Fire Science from Scottsdale Community College. He is Certified Public Manager from Arizona State University, Certified Fire Officer from CPSE, Lean Six Sigman Green Bels, and a certified presenter of Inside Out Coaching. Ryan sits on the NFPA 1710 technical committee, is the Central Arizona Life Safety Council West Valley Co-chair, is a member of the International Association of Fire Chief’s (IAFC), and Arizona Fire Chief Association (AFCA)
Ryan is married to his wife Tara, lives in Scottsdale, AZ and is a proud father of three sons and a daughter.