MORGANTOWN — After 34 years of service to the City of Morgantown, friends, family and coworkers gathered to celebrate Fire Chief Mark Caravasos as he enters retirement.
“It is a very bittersweet day, but it’s a great honor to be standing here with the chief,” said Capt. Mark Thalman.
During the ceremony, a proclamation from the city was awarded to him in recognition of his accomplishments and contributions. Following tradition, he also received his badges mounted to a plaque to remind him of the time he spent with the department.
Caravasos said he is looking forward to retirement, but most of all, he will miss the camaraderie that came with being a member of the fire department.
“There’s certain things you see, certain things you do, that only a firefighter understands,” he said. “It’s that camaraderie and brotherhood that I’m gonna miss the most.”
Caravasos said he was first introduced to the fire department in 1979 when a friend encouraged him to become a volunteer firefighter. He said this experience was what helped him to realize he wanted to pursue a career within the department.
Prior to retiring, Caravasos was the longest-serving city employee. His employment began in 1985, when he was a dispatcher for the Morgantown Police Department. In 1987, he was hired as a probationary firefighter and promoted to firefighter first class in 1993.
Caravasos then climbed the ranks, moving up from lieutenant to deputy fire marshall, then to duty crew captain, before taking on the role as fire chief. He held his position as fire chief for 11 years and received the Chief Fire officer certification awarded by the Center for Public Safety excellence.
During his time in the department, Caravasos and his team had many accomplishments, such as being awarded the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant. This grant allowed the department to hire 12 additional firefighters and improve its Insurance Services Office score.
“Less than 1% of fire departments in the United States have such an outstanding ISO score,” said Ken Tennant, a Morgantown fire marshal.
This type of accomplishment made possible by his team has left Caravosos feeling confident the department is on the right track and is in good hands.
Caravasos doesn’t have set plans for how he wants to spend retirement, but he said he is looking forward to spending more time at home with his family. Although he will no longer be employed by the department, he said the relationships he built over the years will continue to be an important part of his life.
“Once a firefighter, always a firefighter,” he said. “I’m blessed to be able to have that within a system and to have that as a part of my life moving forward.”
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