Conn. Assistant Fire Chief Recalls 27 Years of Service

June 16--NEW HAVEN -- Fire Department Assistant Chief Ralph Black grew up reading stories in the newspaper about local firefighters' heroism.

Now after more than 27 years, he'll be retiring from the busiest fire department in the state.

Black joined the department in 1987 and was assigned to the Dixwell Fire Station on Goffe Street.

From there he climbed the ranks until he reached the highest nonappointed position of assistant chief of operations. There was a 10-year period when Black was studying every day for the next available promotional test. That helped him rank first on a couple of the promotional exams.

It wouldn't have been possible without support from his wife, Anne Black, and his children Christian and Sarah. For years the family has traveled in two cars just in case he had to go to a scene.

"It seems like we've taken two cars for the past 10 years," he said. "It will be great to take one car now."

Black earned his bachelor's degree in economics at Southern Connecticut State University. It was a rule in his family that everyone had to go to college, he said. His mother was reluctant at first for him to go into fire service, but she lived to see her son be promoted to battalion chief.

"She said, 'Boy, that was a quite a move you made there," Black said about the promotion. He finally had her full approval to be a firefighter.

Black has been present at a number of monumental events over the past 27 years in fire service, both inside and outside of New Haven. Black was on duty when 9/11 happened and went down to Ground Zero with other city firefighters through FEMA's Critical Incident Stress Debriefing program.

The group helped other firefighters cope with the loss of 343 fire personnel.

"You couldn't deal with it the same way you deal with a single or double firefighter loss, which is a tragedy in itself," Black said.

There was a large change in public safety coordination after 9/11, Black said. Fire Departments and other agencies started working together more often and shared specialized tools and tactics.

Black was also on duty when the Unabomber's device went off in a Yale University room on Prospect Street.

He's seen a number of fellow firefighters injured over the years. His friend Tommy Kelly suffered severe injuries after falling down a shaft during a 1992 fire.

"That fire showed me how serious the job could be," Black said.

Black is renowned for being cool as a cucumber at fire scenes, even as the world around him is literally going up in flames.

He often can be heard over radio channels calmly giving orders to firefighters and talking down personnel who get too much of an adrenaline rush. Black said he learned that from a number of his superiors over the years.

"In fires, if you lose your head you can lose your butt," he said.

Black learned that line from now-retired Fire Chief Michael Grant, when Black was a new firefighter. He said he and Grant had an excellent working relationship through the years.

Acting Battalion Chief Billy Gould was in the same fire academy class as Black. He said firefighters respect Black's vast knowledge of firefighting and his commitment to safety.

"He's strived for safety first and he's a good and aggressive firefighter," Gould said. "He's always got the job done."

Gould's father, retired Battalion Chief Thomas Gould, was Black's first commanding officer -- and one of his best mentors.

Black is good about letting other lower supervisors handle a fire scene and is quick to jump in and change strategy when things aren't going well, the younger Gould said.

"He's respected by the guys and he gives respect," he said. "He's compassionate and passionate about the job."

Chief Allyn Wright said there is no doubt the department will feel Black's loss.

"He eats, sleeps and drinks the Fire Department," Wright said. "He is great under pressure."

The Fire Department has had an aggressive firefighting style over the years. A safe but aggressive approach allows firefighters to get into a fire before it spreads, which helps limit the loss of life and property, Black said.

The key to success is teamwork.

"It's like a team sport," he said. "If you get a good team, you can make things happen."

He said he's been blessed to work with many great firefighters, both as a superior officer and as a subordinate. Senior fire personnel showed how firefighters have to take care of each other.

The Fire Department and its equipment have changed a great deal since 1987. Things like new turnout and self-contained breathing apparatus gear have made it possible for firefighters to go deeper into fires, but with that comes the responsibility of knowing it doesn't make a firefighter invincible, Black said.

"It's all very good technology, but with that comes the caution that you have to know how to handle yourself like it was prior to that technology coming into place," Black said.

New advances in EMS technology have also allowed firefighters to save more lives, he said.

The three-alarm fire at the Bella Vista housing complex in August 2013 presented a challenging situation for the department, Black said. Firefighters were battling an odd electrical blaze where fire had burned down instead of burning the more typical way of up, then sideways and then down.

Firefighters made some gutsy moves to keep the fire contained and some firefighters were blown back in a flashover.

Firefighters did even more work to help residents after the fire was put out, Black said. They went back into apartments and helped gather belongings and medicine as the elderly population prepared for what would become a month-long exodus.

"I was just as proud of the kindness and generosity that the firefighters extended to the elderly population when the fire was out," he said.

Black was also on hand for the three-alarm Brass Monkey fire in 2007. The fire started in the Brass Monkey bar and destroyed a number of businesses downtown. An aggressive firefighting approach helped contain the damage.

Black is one of many Fire Department personnel who will retire by the end of June. There are about 116 vacancies in the department.

"It's been very challenging," Black said about managing a department with so many vacancies. "I think the best thing that can happen for the department would be for us to get... this rookie class coming on and get promotions going."

The Board of Fire Commissioners is set to vote on promotions for the rank of battalion chief on Tuesday.

Black is optimistic about the department's future, especially with fire classes being filled by a group of young, educated and highly energized cadets.

"I think it has to be molded with the consideration of the history of where we came from," he said.

Black said his only regret was that he wouldn't stay 30 years, but it was the right time for him to move on. He hasn't solidified any career plans yet and said he plans to take some time off to be with his family.

One of the best things about being a firefighter is being able to help people at their most desperate hour.

"You are there first-hand when people are in crisis and you can bring them some solution or some sort of help right off the bat," he said.

Call Rich Scinto at 203-789-5748. Have questions, feedback or ideas about our news coverage? Connect directly with the editors of the New Haven Register at AskTheRegister.com

Copyright 2014 - New Haven Register, Conn.