From a very early age, I knew I wanted to be a firefighter.”

Autry Cheatham, retiring Surprise Fire Department battalion chief

By Delarita Ford
Mail | Twitter: @AzNewsmedia

For nearly 40 years, Autry Cheatham has spent his career extinguishing fires, extricating people from vehicles and responding to life-threatening situations from Phoenix to Surprise.

On July 5, Cheatham officially retires from the city of Surprise Fire Department as a battalion chief.

“He’s been a really strong leader and mentor in the department and friend. We will certainly miss him,” said Surprise Fire-Medical Department Battalion Chief/Public Information Officer Julie Moore, describing a “really cool ceremony” held June 28.

A formal presentation and party was at Surprise Fire-Medical Station 305, 15517 N. Parkview Place, in Surprise, where Cheatham received well-wishes on his upcoming retirement and gifts for his many years of service.

His gifts consisted of a plaque, and a brass bugle, which is nearly one-foot-tall, among other awards.

“I appreciate their appreciation for the work that I have done,” said Cheatham, surrounded by his family, friends and colleagues. “The biggest key to success in life is teamwork. You have to have the support of the guys around you and I’ve been blessed with those guys being friends and family.”

Acknowledging accolades from the department and his peers, the Arizona native who grew up in south Phoenix, said he plans to spend a lot of time with his family, which includes four children and eight grandchildren.

Besides making family time, during retirement, he will also teach the Fire 1 and Fire 2 programs at Glendale Community College, devising curriculum and instructing on skill sets to help prepare budding fire fighters on passing state certifications.

“It’s worth the effort to get hired within the fire service,” added Cheatham, an Avondale resident.

Cheatham, who spent “39 years and some change” in fire service, said he always knew he wanted to be a fireman since he was younger.

“From a very early age, I knew I wanted to be a firefighter,” Cheatham said.

He has worked in various capacities within the fire department since he started. He served for 20 years with the Phoenix Fire Department, before he joined the city of Surprise Fire Department in 2006.

Also, Cheatham’s family has a propensity for public service as he has a brother who was hired by the fire department five years before he began his long-standing career, he noted.

His relatives devoted to public service include Simeon Cheatham, who served as a Goodyear Fire captain, Frank Cheatham, a retired Phoenix Fire deputy, Wade Cheatham, a city of Phoenix Police officer, and others.

Delarita Ford
Lead Reporter | Surprise
@AzNewsmedia

dford@iniusa.org

Meet Delarita
Delarita Ford originally joined Independent Newspapers Incorporated, now Independent Newsmedia, Inc. USA in 1997, as a general assignment reporter for the Delaware State News daily paper after starting her journalism career in Maryland in 1994, where she honed her skills by writing obituaries, covering community news from births to deaths, education to legislation and more. As a reporter, she has had the opportunity to cover sitting and former U.S. presidential visits in Baltimore, Delaware, and Arizona.

Community: One of the few seasoned journalists who still enjoys covering community events, she can be found with a reporter’s pad taking notes, her phone taking pictures while capturing life’s moments to memorialize them in print for the local newspapers and for the active-adult community where she lives. She maintains a presence with the Black media and the National Association of Black Journalists to encourage peers, socialize, and mentor younger writers.

Education: Life learner who learns from life. Aside from the collegiate education received, she got the best training from on-the-job experience with former editors who went through copy with a red pen and demanded the best writing for hard news and feature stories. 

Random Fact: While a Delaware State News reporter, she could call then Sen. Joe Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, usually late at night if a quote or input was needed for varying topics, including legislation and education.

Hobbies: Adopt rescue dogs and give them a nice home. Continuously read and critique news stories from various platforms.