Joseph Cardello ’86

Found His Calling as a Public Servant in the Virginia Fire Department

Joseph Cardello ’86 was struggling a bit academically in his senior year at St. Mary’s Ryken and wasn’t taking his future as seriously as he should. Brother Richard, one of his favorite teachers, intervened, asking Joseph to join him for a walk around campus. “He told me he saw a lot of potential in me, and he wanted me to find something I loved and dedicate myself to it,” Joseph said. “Of course, he said it in his colorful way.” Joseph’s career path seems obvious in hindsight. His grandfather was a volunteer firefighter for many years, and his dad was a volunteer firefighter, then a career firefighter. But Joseph thought he wanted something different. He went to Charles County Community College after graduating from SMR in 1986 and had a good job at Southern Maryland Newspapers, “but I felt like something was missing,” Joseph said. “I had this growing feeling that I wanted to help people.” He decided to give firefighting a go. He was hired by the Prince George’s County Fire Department, where his father worked, in 1989, and “I immediately knew I’d found my calling.” Joseph stayed with the PG County department for 29 years, working his way up from a recruit firefighter/EMT all the way to deputy chief. Along the way, he earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland in fire science and is working on a master’s degree in organizational leadership at Johns Hopkins University. Among other accolades, he earned the Bronze Medal of Valor in 2003 when he helped pull a man from his burning home. Joseph found the man unconscious in his bedroom and carried him to a medical crew outside. Knowing that most fire department calls are medical-related, he became certified as a paramedic in 2010. “I felt that I could be a better public servant if I became a paramedic, which has a higher scope of practice than an EMT,” he said. “It has helped give me a better perspective on what people need, and it helped me become a better supervisor because I have a good understanding of what our paramedics go through every day.” In 2018, Joseph left Prince George’s County for his current position as chief of the Stafford County, Virginia, Fire and Rescue Department, where he supervises about 200 career and 150 volunteer firefighters. Being in the top job can be tough, Joseph said. The biggest challenge, he said, is balancing the expectations of the community with

a workforce that has gotten younger. “You always hear about how difficult it is to manage millennials today,” Joseph said. “I don’t think it’s difficult, it’s just different. Our younger folks have a strong desire to help people and make a difference in their lives, and they don’t want to come to work every day and go through the same boring routine. They want a variety Joseph as a recruit of experiences.” with the Prince George’s County “One thing about a career in fire and EMS Fire Department is that you always need to have a plan,” he said. “Whether during an emergency or thinking ahead to where you want to be in five, 10, or 20 years, you have to make a plan and execute it. My SMR/Catholic education helped prepare me for the future. We had a lot of free time and had to make choices and take personal responsibility for them.” Joseph’s plan for the future includes retiring in about 10 years and finally getting to travel with his wife, Julie, and playing golf every day. He also has seven children—four sons and three daughters.

Deputy Chief Cardello on duty in the local community