Fire Chief John Henry McArdle spent the last 17 years as the head of Plaistow, N.H.’s Fire Department. (Courtesy photograph.)
Plaistow N.H.’s fire chief will be leaving the fire department after 28 years on the job.
Fire Chief John Henry McArdle will leave his position on Dec. 31, his department colleague Capt. Ryan Higgins confirmed in a social media post on Friday.
During his tenure with Plaistow Fire—including 17 years as chief—McArdle was instrumental in making key apparatus replacements and had a big hand in the Public Safety Complex project, Higgins said. Higgins also praised his boss for hiring a diverse and inclusive staff.
Higgins also thanked McArdle’s wife, Jude May, and his daughters, Erin and Maureen, for tolerating McArdle’s schedule, saying “the countless birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, holidays, dinners and other family events that have been disrupted, ruined or never happened is an undertaking on its own.”
“I think I can speak for the entire organization, past and present, [when I say] thank you for everything you have done for us as an organization and individually over the years,” Higgins said of McArdle. “It does not go unnoticed and unappreciated!”