Captain John Gulotta began his fire service career in 1988 and joined the Tucson Fire Department (TFD) in 1997. He was promoted to Captain in 2005 and, in 2011, became the first to serve as Health and Safety Program Coordinator at that rank. He currently chairs the Southern Arizona Safety Officer Association and provides safety leadership across regional fire service agencies.

He has received several department honors, including Firefighter of the Year (2012) and the Fire Chief’s Award (2016). Since 2015, Captain Gulotta has worked with the University of Arizona on FEMA-funded research examining firefighter exposure to occupational toxins and cancer risk. This partnership has informed exposure-reduction practices, including post-fire wash downs, engineers-on-air, and clean cab protocols.

Captain Gulotta also serves as a department representative for the Fire Fighter Cancer Cohort Study (FFCCS.org). In 2023, he was assigned as a research liaison to the University of Arizona.