OH Fire Captain Celebrates 50 Years with Department

A small group of friends and family gathered in front of the Suffield Township Fire Station early Thursday afternoon to celebrate Fire Capt. Robert Dudley's 50th year with the department.

As of June 18, Dudley, 73, has officially worked with the Suffield Township Fire Department for 50 years. To celebrate, a parade by the fire station was arranged for him. Dudley sat on a plush chair and waved as a line of fire trucks from several area departments drove by. Among the lineup were vehicles from Richfield Township, Streetsboro and Ravenna City. Police cruisers along with cars decorated with signs and balloons dotted the parade, too.

Jacob Dudley, grandson of the captain, said plans for the celebration had been in the works since October. Though it was first envisioned as a bigger, public event, plans had to be scaled down due to the pandemic. Still, the celebration persisted because of how significant the department felt the anniversary was.

Though such a milestone is reached, Suffield Township Fire Chief Robert Rasnick said, it is unheard of for a fire department to have someone reach a 50th anniversary.

"This is a very, very big day," he said. "This is a big deal in history for the Suffield Fire Department."

Dudley said his work with the department began when he was 23 years old. In 1983, he was promoted to the rank of captain and in 2018, he was named the Ohio EMS Provider of the Year. The original fire station, where the Suffield Township Historical Society is now located, was where he first worked. He said he went into the career because he always liked firemen and the job was something he always wanted to do. In his time, Dudley said, he has seen the department change a lot for the good. The amount of hours put into firefighter training, in general, he noted, has increased significantly.

A sense of duty and community, Jacob said, is why he thinks his grandfather continues his job. He also believes that the time family members have spent visiting him at the station may have influenced some career decisions. Two of Dudley's children, including Jacob's father, work full-time positions in Ohio fire departments.

"He's been a wonderful teacher," Rasnick said. "Very first call I went on, he was driving the truck and he was telling me what to do once we got on the scene. He's been a great role model ... he's been a go-to-guy for his whole tenure with this fire department. He's taken such good care of all of the people in this community."

Dudley said he really enjoys the camaraderie within the fire department as well as the people's willingness to do better and learn. It never feels like work when you love your job, he said. His advice to those interested in becoming firefighters was to keep up with training.

Dudley currently has no plans to retire.

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