Rio Verde Fire District
Our Team
Fire Chief
Scott Krushak
Scott Krushak joins the Rio Verde Fire District after nearly 38 years with the Phoenix Fire Department (PFD). Scott started with the PFD in 1980 as a Firefighter and completed his career with the department as an Assistant Fire Chief. During that time, he was also appointed to the City Manager’s Office where he spent five years as the City of Phoenix Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
During Scott’s career with the department, he held the ranks of Firefighter, Engineer, Captain, Battalion Chief, Division Chief, Deputy Chief and Assistant Chief. He has also held a certification as an Emergency Paramedic for over 23 years and as an EMT for 14 years. During his time as an Assistant Fire Chief Scott was responsible for the Fire Training Academy, Special Operations Section, EMS, Fire Fleet, Facilities and Commodities.
Scott was also a 20+ year member of AZ Task Force One – the PFD’s Federal Urban Search and Rescue team where he held the positions of Search Team Manager and Task Force Leader. He has been a Command Staff member of FEMA’s Federal Incident Support Team and the Incident Commander for the City of Phoenix Incident Management Team.
Scott attended ASU's College of Engineering and received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Safety and Emergency Management from GCU. He is currently an Adjunct Faculty Member at PVCC in the Fire Science Program where he teaches supervisory courses.
Scott married his high school sweetheart Laura in 1981. They have lived in the Rio Verde Foothills for over 20 years where they have enjoyed outdoor activities with their horses and dogs. When they are not hiking in the desert they are traveling somewhere around the globe.
Deputy Chief
Chris Stewart
Chris Stewart was hired by the Phoenix Fire Department in 1991. He spent much of his career as a Firefighter and Company Officer working on busy Engine Companies. As a Chief Officer, he worked across many divisions of the Phoenix Fire Department. Chris served as the Director of Training, the Deputy Chief in the Homeland Defense Bureau (a shared bureau with the Phoenix Police Department), Operations Safety Officer, and Shift Commander.
Chris responded to the Northridge Earthquake, Oklahoma City Bombing, and 9/11 Terrorism Attacks as a member of the Phoenix Fire Department, Arizona Task Force 1. He was an Incident Commander for the City of Phoenix Incident Management Team, responsible for the unified public safety operations of Super Bowl 49, College Football National Championships, College Basketball Championships, and the US Senator John S. McCain Arizona Memorial.
Chris retired from the Phoenix Fire Department in September 2022.
Chris is a Lead Instructor for the Blue Card Command Training Certification. He currently serves on the Technical Panel for the UL-FSRI Study of Coordinated Fire Attack utilizing Acquired Structures. He has been appointed to the NFPA 1700 Technical Committee, Fundamentals of Fire Control Within a Structure Utilizing Fire Dynamics to represent Blue Card Command Training Certification. Lastly, Chris has been a contributing author to B Shifter magazine since 2013.
Chris is married to his high school sweetheart and has 2 son’s attending Arizona State University.
Chris was appointed in November 2022 as the Deputy Chief of the Rio Verde Fire District, where he leads the operational response, training, and customer service efforts for the fire district in this growing community.
Fire Marshal
Chris Cavanaugh
In 2004, Chris began his career with the Rio Verde Fire District (RVFD) as a reserve firefighter/EMT having started in the fire service 3.5 years earlier with the Mayer Fire District. In June of 2005, he received his paramedic certification and shortly after accepted a full-time position with RVFD. Since that time, he has moved through the ranks serving as a Firefighter, Engineer, Captain and Fire Marshal. He has an Associate’s in Business Administration and certifications for Fire Inspector II, Arizona Arson I-IV, Fire Instructor I, and Wildland Firefighter.
Prior to realizing his lifelong dream of becoming a firefighter, Chris enjoyed a 20+ year career in construction. He began as an installer’s helper and went on to become an installer, crew leader, crew manager and eventually ran his own specialty construction company.
Chris married the love of his life, Joanna, in 1989. He and his wife were born in Arizona but spent their adolescent years in the Midwest. They currently reside in Dewey with two of their four children.
Administrative Manager Jennifer Jacobe
Jennifer Jacobe joined the Rio Verde Fire District in May of 2018. Prior to that, she worked at Southeast Missouri Mental Health Center in Farmington, MO for more than 20 years. The last 15 years had been spent overseeing the Payroll Department. While in that role, she helped implement a new timekeeping system not only at her hospital, but statewide. She served as the UAT (user acceptance testing) lead for the Missouri Department of Mental Health and even assisted the vendor with training outside agencies.
While in Missouri, Jennifer attended Mineral Area College and continues her education today with online classes. Recently, she obtained her Emergency Medical Technician certification.
Having spent her entire life in Missouri, Jennifer moved to Arizona looking for a change of scenery. She found more than she could ask for in the beautiful landscape and an amazing work family. Jennifer currently lives in Scottsdale.
Administrative Assistant
Tatum Heinrich
Reverend Dr. Mary Catherine (Cathy) Northrup
Rio Verde Fire Pastor
A Minnesota native, Reverend Northrup is a graduate of Hamline University in St. Paul, Georgetown University Law School, Union Theological Seminary in Virginia and Princeton Theological Seminary where she received her Doctor of Ministry degree.
Prior to coming to Rio Verde, Reverend Northrup has served churches in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and most recently in Wichita, Kansas. Her interests are broad and include preaching, teaching, pastoral care, Stephen Ministry, inter-faith ministry and outreach.
Reverend Northrup is married to Michael Northrup, a graduate of Brown University and Gordon Conwell Seminary in Charlotte, N.C. Michael is both a teacher and a coach. They reside in Rio Verde with their two black lab-mix dogs.
Reverend Northrup can be reached at the church office at 480.471.7239, via her cellphone, 480.322.0183, or via email at cnorthrup@verdefaith.org.