Sept. 26--SANDWICH -- George Russell grew up in a well-traveled Coast Guard family.
His father's career took the family from Newfoundland to San Diego and ports in between. But for Russell, it was Sandwich that stuck.
Russell, 60, grew up in Sandwich, went to college at Cape Cod Community College and Northeastern University, and returned to town where he joined a call fire department in 1978 and later joined the full-time force in 1982. He also raised his three children -- Sarah, Erin and Jason -- in town with his wife, Ellen.
Earlier this month, he announced his intention to retire as Sandwich fire chief at the end of 2013.
"I've been thinking about this for a while," he said Wednesday inside his tiny, wood-paneled office at fire headquarters that includes a photograph of him standing next to the late Sen. Edward Kennedy with the U.S. Capitol as the backdrop.
Russell was promoted to chief eight years ago. At the time, he had a list of five things he hoped to accomplish, including a new station and adding staff to open the East Sandwich station. On Wednesday, he said it's disappointing to have only one of the things on his list -- hiring a deputy chief -- move forward.
"That's not a good record," he said. "Maybe it's time for someone else to explain (the needs) in a different way to convince the powers that be."
James Pierce, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said it wasn't for lack of trying by Russell. The chief began lobbying Pierce for a third station and more firefighters when he was elected selectman in 2009. "He never stopped," Pierce said. "That includes the day I congratulated him on his retirement."
Russell faced difficult odds because of a downturn in the economy. "He should feel good about what he was able to accomplish," Pierce said. "The department is better off than it was when he arrived."
Recently, voters rejected a $30 million public safety complex and fire substation, and the selectmen balked at a grant that would add staff. Sandwich has 35 fire personnel compared with 56 in Yarmouth, which is also seeking additional firefighters.
It's not frustration that prompted his decision to retire, Russell said, but a desire to spend winter in a warmer climate. "I'm done with the snow," he said.
Russell points to the department's relatively new fire trucks and ambulances, new air tanks for firefighters and vehicle headsets paid for with grant money as some of the positives of his tenure.
And even though there has been criticism of the department's new $900,000 fire boat paid for with a Homeland Security grant, Russell defends it.
"I used the analogy this morning: It's like going from a horse-drawn fire engine to a gasoline, motorized one," he said. "We had a boat that was putting the people we rescue and the rescuers in jeopardy. Now we have one that's safer, and we got it for nothing."
For another year, training for the boat and maintenance will be covered by another $25,000 grant, he said.
The chief said he has been urged by residents to run for selectman. "I'm thinking about it," he said, chuckling at the notion that his patented concise answers would shorten meetings considerably.
The town has begun advertising for the $120,000-per-year job, but Deputy Chief Thomas Corriveau won't be among the applicants. Corriveau, 55, already has announced his intention to retire after 29 years, first as a volunteer and then as a full-time firefighter. He plans to move to Florida with his wife in July.
Copyright 2013 - Cape Cod Times, Hyannis, Mass.
