A former Madison Fire Department assistant chief who retired in 2006 after 31 years with the department was found dead at his home early Wednesday.

Dane County Coroner John Stanley said no cause of death had yet been determined for Carl Saxe, 55, of Madison, but said "there were no suspicious circumstances." A full obituary is due to run Saturday.

Flags on city buildings began flying at half staff Wednesday and will remain that way until sundown the day of the funeral, which has not yet been set, Madison Fire Chief Debra Amesqua said.

Saxe was described by his former colleagues as well-liked and highly skilled, both as a firefighter/paramedic and, during his final 10 years with the department when he was the assistant chief handling personnel issues and later operations for the 330-member department. When he retired, Saxe told the State Journal that one of the hardest periods of his career came in 1999 when he presided over the firing of five Madison firefighters implicated in a drug scandal involving Jocko's Rocket Ship bar.

Amesqua credited Saxe with improving the department's hiring practices and its response to medical emergencies and hazardous materials incidents. During his 15 years as a paramedic, he helped about 8,000 patients and delivered four babies, she said.

Joe Conway, president of the Firefighters Local 311 of Madison, said although he and Saxe "went toe to toe" on personnel issues when Saxe was assistant chief, "at the end of the day, we were still friends." Added Conway: "He was a good guy. A good, honest guy."

Saxe is survived by his wife, Crystal, and two grown children.