Jerry Myers, Fire Chief
Born and bred in Ridgefield, Ct., Jerry Myers has been with the Ridgefield Fire Dept. at every possible level for 41 years. He was a Ridgefield High School graduate of the class of 1977 and knew he wanted to be a fire fighter from grade three. John Sullivan from the Ridgefield Fire Dept. brought the hook and ladder truck from the fire department to his elementary school and from then on Jerry was “hooked.”
Jerry wanted to sign on with the fire dept. directly after graduation, but there was no opening at the time. Instead, he joined the Army and was sent to Germany. He was trained to be a medic and was deciding whether to reenlist or not when he got a call from his dad. His father said that there was now a fire department opening but he had to work fast. Within two weeks, Jerry was able to get home from Germany, take the test, go through the physical and the interviews, and start work.
Over the years, Jerry went from lieutenant to captain to assistant chief to chief. He was also acting chief under Fire Chief Tappe. Jerry is now in charge of 37 uniformed officers who are trained as both fire fighters and paramedics so that they can assist in both fire and health rescue. He is also proud of his 50 volunteers. His education outside of the fire department was at regional training sessions and online. Jerry has an associates degree in fire science.
Jerry is most proud of his staff, how they serve the public, the respect they have in the community and how willing they are to help in any situation. He is also happy to see the paramedics, the EMC and others working cooperatively out the fire station. This was not always the case as paramedics used to be hired from a private firm.
Working more cooperatively is one of Jerry’s dreams. Like many others he would like to see the fire and police departments working out of a common campus so that there would be more sharing of facilities, staff, and resources. The fire and police are the first responders and need to be able to work together to be most effective.
Both the police and fire stations are over 100 years old and out “of code.” When the fire house was first built, the firefighters used to go across the street to the livery stalls and hook up horses to their engines.
Space is also an issue in both the police and fire stations. The fire station is land locked and has no room for movement. Some of the equipment is over 40 years old, the fire engines are parked one behind another due to space, the doors are not large enough to maneuver larger vehicles and flooding takes place in each building. These conditions do not mean that the public are being shortchanged in any way. It just means that there could be a safer and easier way to do the job.
Jerry is very proud of his latest tanker and pumper which is an all-in-one vehicle. However, on his wish list would be a smaller tanker to be able to get into the smaller roads in Ridgefield. He is also proud of the fact that his first career female fighter is presently at the fire academy getting trained. Ridgefield has had a female fire chief and women volunteers, but never a career fire fighter on the force.
If someone was interested in being a volunteer, they would need to come to one monthly meeting and attend two training sessions a month. If they wanted to be a volunteer that goes into the burning building, they would need an additional 200 hours of training. Volunteers are told over and over, it is life over property when you make a fire related decision.
One of the worst fires in town that Jerry can remember was in 2005. With a strong wind blowing, the Bissell Block on Main Street began to burn, and half of the block was destroyed before the fire was stopped. Today with all the storms and downed trees, the fire department spends as much time in storm related and accident events as it does on building fires. Since buildings today are also built of different materials, fire must be controlled in a different manner. With new knowledge of the carcinogens related to fire, departments must also decontaminate both equipment and clothing after each fire call.
Most of the house calls made by the fire department occur due to fires left unattended, candles, fireplaces, grills, stoves, etc. Poor electrical wiring, especially too many appliances using the same source, also cause many of our fires. Jerry speaks in schools and to other organizations about guarding against fires and precautions that need to be taken.
Only one of Jerry’s firefighters from the past, Chris Blackwell, a paramedic, was killed in 9/11. One of Jerry’s firetrucks bears the 9/11 emblem on the back in commemoration of this tragic event.
Jerry met his wife, who is from England, while working part time at the old Barlow Mountain Family Y. They have two children. His daughter has her master’s in writing from WCSU and is an adjunct faculty member in the writing clinic at the university. His son, who is 24, is an EMC at the fire department.
In Jerry’s off time, he is a proud member of the Masons, loves to read and does a lot of teaching about firefighting, but not necessarily as part of his job. Jerry is living his dream and certainly found his niche in town. Jerry has never wanted to do anything else but be a fire fighter and the people of Ridgefield are fortunate for his choice.