The Madison Fire Department has learned of the passing of retired Fire Chief Earle Roberts. Roberts passed away Tuesday, May 10, 2022 at the age of 91.

Roberts served as Madison Fire Chief from October 2, 1985 until his retirement on January 3, 1996. Roberts’ career in the fire service began at the Phoenix Fire Department in 1954, where he rose to the position of Assistant Fire Chief. He went on to serve as Fire Chief in San Diego, California from 1975 to 1984. After leaving San Diego, and just before relocating to Madison, Roberts spent 18 months leading the creation of a brand new fire department in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.

We at the Madison Fire Department remember Chief Roberts as a very humble and kind man whose contributions included many progressive changes and strong leadership for our department.

In memoriam, flags at our fire stations will be flown at half-staff on the day of his memorial service, once that date is known. Our thoughts are with Roberts’ family during this time.


Administrative Assistant Denise DeSerio contributed to this blog post.