"Bill is remarkably dedicated," Porcari said. "He has a lot left to give."
Glendening, a former Prince George's County executive and council member, said he has known Goddard for three decades.
"He's the type of person who makes sure of details. Nothing slips through the cracks," Glendening said. "You knew if there was anything he was in charge of, it would be done right."
Goddard also eased long-standing and volatile tensions between volunteers and paid, union firefighters, the former governor said.
Goddard said he has loved being a firefighter since joining a company as a 14-year-old volunteer. After four years in the Navy, he landed his first professional firefighting job, which paid $3,200 a year, he recalled.
"I could not believe someone would pay me for what I loved best," he said.
Over the years, Goddard held a variety of Fire Department jobs, including working as a member of the bomb squad, which included a 26-week police academy training course. He retired in 1995 as chief deputy of the Prince George's department after 24 years of service, he said.
Along the way, Goddard has had extensive training in arson, domestic terrorism, hazardous materials and conflict resolution, though he has no college degree.
After his fire career, he served as executive assistant to the state fire marshal, deputy secretary of state under Glendening and chief of staff for Porcari. For the past few years, he has been vice president of development for the Michael Cos. Inc. in Lanham, he said.
At the announcement on Monday, Goddard said his saddest day was taking off his fire uniform after retiring. And although he's enthusiastic about coming to Howard, Goddard expects he'll be viewed skeptically by some.
"I will be considered by some as an outsider who will bring change for the sake of change," he said. "I will not make change simply for the sake of change. I will listen before I speak, I'll be decisive but I'll communicate frequently and manage our department with passion."
