City of Ithaca Fire Chief C. Thomas Parsons has announced his retirement, effective August 27, 2022.
Chief Parsons served in his current capacity for the last decade. Altogether, his service to the Ithaca Fire Department and the greater Ithaca community totals nearly 40 years, according to a city news release.
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Parsons’ leadership guided the IFD through the many opportunities and challenges, with his primary focus always being on fire prevention and public safety, continued the release.
“The city would like to thank Chief Tom Parsons for his dedication to the Ithaca Fire Department and to our community. I want to express my gratitude to the Chief for his years of service,” said Acting Mayor Laura Lewis.
Chief Parsons provided the following statement:
“It has been a privilege and pleasure to serve the City of Ithaca in the capacity of Fire Chief for the last 10 years. I have been honored since 1985 to work with dedicated, highly skilled, and motivated firefighters and officers within the Ithaca Fire Department. Working within the Fire Department has been tremendously rewarding and I would like to thank the leadership of both the City of Ithaca and the Town of Ithaca but most importantly the community that I have served, who have supported the mission and values of the Ithaca Fire Department.”