Interview With The Chairman of the Board

Captain Gonzo; In The Words of Ron Ayotte

 

First Published 2/26/05

 

The column known as the Voice of Reason has been silent for some time. I have been devoting most of my time to The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie.

So, I thought it was high time that I bring back The Voice of Reason…with a ROAR!

To that end, I able proud to say that I have snagged an interview with a very colorful individual that kindly consented to spend some time with me.

This was pure enjoyment on my part. To sit down with a Jake and exchange ideas and “talk shop” is something that has to be shared.

And with that, I give you our very own…Captain Gonzo-In His Own Words!

 

VR: Ron; thank you for taking the time for this interview.

 

CG: No problem. I’m honored.

 

VR: What do you want to share about your home life?

 

CG: I am married to a wonderful woman, Trish, who has put up with my quirks and idiosyncrasies for 25+ years. Our “baby”, Jonathan, is 21 and a junior at Umass-Dartmouth. The rest of the “kids” are our two dogs and two cats: Bernie, Murphy, Jake and Mia.

 

VR: We have talked about Jonathan before. You described him with great pride the work ethic and maturity of him. Has he chosen his career path yet?

 

CG: He is majoring in computer graphics and visual design, leaning toward typography…designing catalogs, brochures, etc. I have shown some of his artwork to a few “friends in high places”, who happen to work in the graphics design field and they agree that he has talent. He does want to take the next firefighter entrance exam, though. Maybe he wants to follow the old man into the fire service.

 

VR: Wasn’t your son re-furbishing a Mustang?

 

CG: It had a Saleen body kit applied and a new paint job. To my son, it’s still a work in progress.

 

VR: Have you got a project car that you’re working on?

 

CG: No. As soon as we are done paying college tuition and Trish’s Jeep is paid off, I’m buying a toy. I am undecided between a sports sedan like a BMW 330is, Acura TL, Mercedes C230 Kompressor or a 2005 Mustang GT. Too many choices!

 

VR: You have a car detailing business. How did you get started with that?

 

CG: I am a clean car fanatic. I became a clean car fanatic when I bought my first, decent car out of college. I detailed a van for one of my wife’s friends; she told others and it took off from there. Most of my clientele are cops, jakes and EMS personnel.

 

VR: Do you have any time for hobbies?

 

CG: I like to read. I love fire books and military techno-thrillers. I do some free lance writing and reporting for two local weekly newspapers and I had an article published in Firehouse Magazine (Apparatus Detailing November 1992). I also enjoy photography, cars and aircraft.

 

VR: Speaking of hobbies, I read somewhere that you have taken up flying. Do you plan on going out West and flying water birds?

 

CG: Someday… (laughing) I am presently going for my private pilot VFR ticket and I am taking ground school right now. I might try for my IFR (Instrument Flight) later on. Do you know what makes an airplane fly? Money! It costs about $9K to get your private pilot VFR ticket from the FAA. To fly the “water birds” requires a commercial IFR multi-engine rating. If you want to fly the Bombardier CL amphibian, you need to add a seaplane and amphibian rating…mucho dinero!

 

VR: This leads me to your current occupation. Did you plan for it or did it “just happen”?

 

CG: A little of both, actually.

 

VR: What drew you to it? I mean; besides the excitement of riding the tailboard? You did ride the tailboard?

 

CG: I lived across the street from a firehouse when I was 5 to 8 years old. The station was Dracut Fire Headquarters. I wanted to be a “fireman” when I grew up. Then my parents split up and we moved to Lowell. I lived in Engine 2/Ladder 2 and Engine 7’s response area. In my teens, I learned to play guitar and wanted to be a rock star. As I got older, I wanted to become an FM radio personality (getting paid to talk on the radio and listen to music…what a country!) I went to college as a public communications major, but the dream of being a firefighter was still in my head. The opportunity came; I grabbed it and haven’t looked back.

 

VR: Growing up; what was the funniest thing that happened to you as an aspiring, young smoke-eater?

 

CG: I was walking to school (James S. Daley Jr. High) one morning, when I saw Engine 2 and Ladder 2 go by with their sirens wailing. I could see the smoke up ahead, so I went and “sparked” the fire. I ended up being late for school, smelling like a conflagration and getting a week’s detention for a smart-assed remark…when I was asked why I was late for school, I said something like “Isn’t it obvious?” or something to that effect.

 

VR: What was the scariest?

 

CG: Having my own home on fire. It was December, 1961. My paternal grandmother was staying with us. She was a smoker and after she had her last cigarette of the evening, she emptied her ashtray into the trash can in the pantry area, setting the house on fire! Dracut had a volunteer fire department back then. Living across the street from the firehouse helped with the quick response!

 

VR: Can you talk about some of the safety or lack of it in your early years?

 

CG: I was fortunate to be assigned to a group where there was a lot of “crust”. They kept me out of trouble until I went to the Academy and got some experience and fires under my belt. I did wear my bunker pants before it became part of the standard turnout ensemble. Someone I worked with got a nasty burn when a large cinder went into his hip boots during an overhaul. That was an attention getter for me.

 

VR: When you talk about your early years, you sound as if there was immediate respect for the senior firefighters. Did you ever believe that they were dumping on you or did you know going in that you had to “earn your spot”?

 

CG: The “rookie” gets all of the glory jobs in the station, you know; you get to clean the heads, the responsibility to make sure the coffee is always fresh and the pot is full, go to do the lunch run, if we order out, etc. I did my time without complaint. Hell, there were times that I couldn’t sleep, so I would go down to the apparatus floor and wash all the rigs. There were a couple of jakes who tried to rattle my cage, but I considered the source and would ignore their bullshit. I worked with one guy who ran a business on the side. At that time, there were only two of us working in a substation. He told me “I want you to answer the phone and screen my calls…if it’s my wife, I’ll take it. If not; blow them off”. That was a huge mistake on his part. Funny; it seemed that every call was from his wife, regardless if she was or not! When he got royally pissed at me, I told him I wasn’t his personal answering service and if he had a problem, “we could call uptown and speak to the Captain”. That crap stopped immediately! He wasn’t long for the job…he quit and moved to Florida to start a new business venture.

 

VR: Did any of that concern weigh in to your decision to become a fire academy instructor?

 

CG: I’m not an instructor. I work in the support services division of the Massachusetts Fire Academy. The official title is “Fire Instructor Aide”. Support Services works with the instructional staff of all the programs. For Recruits, we drive the trucks, set up the fires in the burn building, light them and assist the instructional staff.

 

VR: Have you seen any changes in the focus of the programs vs. the focus of the cadets?

 

CG: I went through the Academy in early 1982 as part of Recruit Class 56. The program then was eight weeks long. The Academy just graduated Recruit Class 166. The course is now eleven weeks long and has been adapted to fit the changing needs of the fire service. The Academy has gone through tremendous change. From its humble beginnings as the Central Massachusetts Fire Training Academy in 1967, it has evolved and is part of the Executive Office of Public Safety, Department of Fire Services.

 

VR: Tell us about your fire department. Calls per year, EMS, HazMat, etc.

 

CG: The Marlborough Fire Department covers an area of 22 square miles and a population of 39K. We have three districts and run three Engines, two Ladders, and one Rescue in frontline status from three stations. There are two reserve engines, seven support vehicles, three equipment trailers and a boat trailer.

In addition to the Chief of Department, there are four Deputy Chiefs, four Captains, eight Lieutenants and fifty-six firefighters, covering four groups. We work (2) ten-hour days, (2) fourteen-hour nights and then have 4 days off. The schedule averages out to a 42-hour week.

Computer-aided Dispatching is done at the Public Safety Communications Center, located in the Police Station. Dispatchers are cross-trained in PD and FD dispatch protocols and work side-by-side.

We have averaged 5,000+ calls a year over the last 5 years. We do fire suppression, prevention, education, rescue, hazmat, public service calls and first responder EMS on the BLS level. A private ambulance company provides transports and ALS services.

 

VR: Aside from you, are there any other “colorful” characters on your department? You know; something that I could use in Jake and Vinnie?

 

CG: I work with 72 of them!

 

VR: Can you tell us about a couple of your more memorable calls?

 

CG: Two are ingrained into my memory.

January 5, 1984: we had a house fire with people trapped. I was assigned to the Rescue that night. We pulled up to find the parents screaming “our kids are still in there! They are trapped in their bedrooms!!!” My partner on the Rescue and I went to the second floor bedrooms where we found a 3 year-old boy, a 5 year-old girl and the family’s dog overcome by smoke. The dog refused to leave the children’s’ side and perished. The children were pronounced dead at Marlborough Hospital. That fire still makes my eyes tear up to this very day.

On March 17, 2000…just after midnight, we responded to a house fire with a report of a person trapped. I was in command of the first due engine. We had heavy involvement and attacked the fire with a deuce and a half with a smoothbore nozzle. I watched in horror as my crew went through the floor and into the basement. It was the first and only MAYDAY I have ever called in my career. Four of us were taken to the hospital as a result of that fire for burns, lacerations, dehydration and exhaustion. The victim was found just three feet away from the rear door. It was the grandfather of the children we lost in 1984! It was déjà vu all over again.

 

VR: Where did you find your greatest level of satisfaction; as a fire dog at the end of the hose, crawling down the hot, smoky hallway or as a captain, shepherding a crew through a maze of intense peril?

 

CG: I still do both! If we have a full shift with nobody out, I have three firefighters and myself on the Engine; otherwise, it’s two firefighters and me. I don’t get to grab the knob anymore, but I’m humping hose behind the knob. I still play shepherd. When the crap hits the fan and conditions deteriorate, I have to “get the flock out of there”!

 

VR: If you’re still humping hose, you got LTs going for coffee or what?

 

CG: If you’re not humpin’ it, you’re pumpin’ it! I don’t hump it that often, but if I am inside with my crew, I lend a hand. I would never ask anyone of my personnel to do something that I wouldn’t do and many hands make light work. As long as I am riding on a company, I’m just another pair of hands; only at a higher pay scale and more responsibility.

 

VR: What’s the motivation behind the man and do you hope to lead a department of your own as its chief officer some day?

 

CG: I have a simple mantra…”everybody goes home”. Firefighters don’t realize the responsibility that their company officers have. There are times where you have to pull your personnel out of the building just when they think they have the fire knocked down; be the bad guy and say “no” when they ask for favors; or be the bad guy and reprimand someone. But the firehouse isn’t Utopia and it isn’t a democracy…get over it and move on. As far as eventually becoming the “big kahuna” in a department…it’s a thankless job. You have to deal with the public, the politicians and your personnel on some of the most trivial matters and everyone who doesn’t get what they want feels that you are personally screwing them! I’m presently on the list for Deputy Chief. There are a few, potential openings in the near future. One step at a time…

 

VR: That’s a mantra everybody could live by! And I have every confidence that you’ll get another bugle.

 

VR: Can you describe the politics inherent to the system for our younger members?

 

CG: It doesn’t matter if the department is career, combination, call or volunteer. There are always political games going on…people jockeying for position, trying to get favors and either looking for things to do or trying to avoid doing things. Be careful with who you align yourself. Do your job, do it well and you will go far.

 

VR: If your city manager/mayor came to you and said “I have $500,000 and I want you to spend it”; what would you buy with it for the department?

 

CG: I would replace the oldest engine in the fleet, upgrade PPE and spend the rest on training.

 

VR: I have always remembered the photo of you in a small group standing outside the site of the Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire. Sunglasses, ball cap, dark moustache, narrow jaw, solid build on what looks like a 180-190 pound frame. Talk about the significance of that fire and the effect it had on you.

 

CG: You forgot to add “devastatingly handsome”! (laughing out loud) The W6 fire did have an effect. I knew a lot of Worcester Jakes through the academy (many of them are named in Sean Flynn’s book 3000 Degrees). I was acquainted with two members of the W6 and a good friend of mine was the aide to Chief MacNamee that night. Just about my entire Department went to the Memorial service on the 9^th of December, with the exception of the on-duty crew. I think a lot of fire departments took accountability a lot more seriously after the fire and if they didn’t…SHAME ON THEM; for they could be the next “Worcester”.

 

VR: Hey; I was trying to say that you cut quite a figure in the picture. I have a hard time referring to other men as “handsome”. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! But, who were the others in the photo?

 

CG: John McMahon, aka ExJake, retired Deputy Chief from the Dedham, MA FD and editor in chief of FireFightersForums.com; his son, Macky, the webmaster of the FFF’s; Jim Preston, aka JMP17, a firefighter with the Meshantucket Pequot Tribal Nation FD, aka the Foxwoods Casino FD; and Todd Bales, aka ImaFF4free, IACOJ trustee emeritus and an administrator at the FFF’s. Jim also works as a crew chief for a private EMS firm and visits the Worcester site often when he is doing transfers to the UMass Memorial Medical Center. On a side note, I have a small piece of brick from the W6 site that I keep as a reminder of how fragile Life is and how fast it can be taken.

 

VR: Will there be a day when there are no more ‘Worcesters’? In your opinion, what will it take?

 

CG: God, I hope so. We have to change our mindset and get out of the “balls to the wall” reaction we have to fighting fires. We have to weigh risk vs. benefit. The night of the Worcester fire, there was high risk, with reported human life in the building. Mike MacNamee had to make a decision that night that I doubt many of us will ever have to make. He made the right one. Otherwise; we might have heard of the “Worcester 12” or more. Risk vs. benefit…let’s look at our responses to car fires. Tones go off, we don our gear, respond, see the red stuff, mask up, grab the line and “go aggressive on the fire”. For what? Unless there are people trapped in the vehicle, the vehicle is in a garage or next to a building, where is the risk? What is the benefit? The insurance company totals just about every vehicle that catches fire. We busted our asses for what? Two tons of burnt metal, melted plastics and broken glass…that’s what!

 

VR: During size up, do you think risk vs. benefit is over-looked, ignored or not factored into the strategy?

 

CG: Unfortunately, both overlooked and ignored. We tend to be the moth attracted to the flame, but forget what and where the flame is coming from and what it is doing to the structure, in the case of a building fire.

 

VR: That’s heavy stuff. Let’s switch to some “fun” stuff. How’d you get your username; a name known both far and wide, Captain Gonzo?

 

CG: One of our dispatchers and a very good friend of mine started calling me “Ronzo” when I first got on “da job”. I have a weird sense of humor at times and one day, he called me “Gonzo Ronzo”. The “Ronzo” got dropped and “Gonzo” stuck. When I first joined the Firehouse Forums, I was a Lieutenant, so Lt. Gonzo was the handle I picked. When I got promoted, I had to start all over again, so I used the handle Captain Gonzo.

 

VR: So, your username didn’t have anything to do with the fuzzy, little Muppet bird?

 

CG: I loved the Muppet show; Gonzo rocks! The character didn’t have anything to do with the nickname, but I do want him to be painted on both my cow lids eventually. I would like to see the IACOJ adopt Waldorf and Astor (the two old Muppet men who were the “critics” of the show)…they exude crust!

 

 

VR: With the exception of a couple of extremists, you have the respect of an entire fire service at Firehouse.com. To what do you attribute that?

 

CG: I can see other people’s point of view, admit when I am wrong and adapt to the changes that come up. I may not agree with everyone’s opinion and I can agree to disagree with them. For example; Tiller25 on FH.com. Chris and I are on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to the IAFF; we agree to disagree and we both have stated that we should get together and have a few cold ones and chew the fat. I can also use humor and laugh at myself. I feel sorry for those who are so extreme in their views that they cannot do the same.

 

VR: If you were the Web Team at Firehouse.com, what would you change?

 

CG: Nothing! They are the template from which all other firefighter websites came from and they do an excellent job. They have tens of thousands in their forums. Some are “one post wonders”, some go there just to stir the excrement pot and others post so often that you swear they live there…guilty as charged! (laughing)

 

VR: You started what has become known as The International Association of Crusty Old Jakes (IACOJ). Did you ever believe that Heather Caspi would call you up for an interview that would appear on the front page at Firehouse.com?

 

CG: That was a total surprise. I think that the IACOJ signature of so many FH.com members got them thinking about us…not as a rival organization, but as a partnership. We could never approach the amount of news resources and advertising revenues they have, but what we have, I feel, is a “personal touch”. I agreed to do an interview for a “quid pro quo”…the chance for the “Voice of Reason” to interview Firehouse.com’s founder Dave Iannone. He agreed, I agreed and we both learned from it. It increased our membership, so I think we got the better part of the deal.

 

VR: You know; there are many firefighter websites out there. You get a username and a password and BOOM-you’re in. I say that the IACOJ is the only one out there that actually “screens” members. What do you think?

 

CG: I concur.

 

VR: Why do you think people want to join the IACOJ?

 

CG: Three reasons. (1) Camaraderie: we all get along. (2) Exclusivity: since we screen our applicants, being able to say that you are IACOJ means something. (3) Last but not least…you can use the occasional “F” bomb without everybody getting all bent out of shape.

 

VR: Where does creating the IACOJ fall on your list of accomplishments?

 

CG: Right now, it’s in the Top Ten.

 

VR: Overall, are you happy with your journey or would you have taken a different road at some point?

 

CG: If I could turn back time (Oh, my God…I’m sounding like Cher!) and change things…I wouldn’t. We all say “woulda/coulda/shoulda”, but hindsight is 20/20. The “road” has made me what I am and placed me where I am. Sure; there have been speed bumps, frost heaves and potholes along the way, but Life isn’t perfect.

 

VR: That’s pretty heavy again. I had promised Jake that he could have a shot at you. I have no idea what he has in mind. You up for it?

 

CG: Shoot!

 

Jake: Well, Cap; we finally get to “chat”. You know; there’s this “rumor” out there, probably started by that thumb-sucking Vinnie that you and I have a lot in common. Besides rank, do you see any similarities between us?

 

CG: There’s a few…and I am going to be honest with you, Jake. I like my Guinness, the love of the job, the respect for tradition and I have been known to be a “klutz” at times (but I never stapled my thumb!). The family thing…there was a time when I first got promoted to Lt. when I was probably headed towards the intersection of “separation road” and “divorce drive”. The pressure and responsibility of “da job” and a crew determined to bust my cojones started getting to me and I started bringing the “firehouse” to MY house until I hit a pothole, woke up, smelled the coffee and talked to someone. I love my coffee; do you?

 

Jake: I see some similarities. You have an uncanny memory. But as Jake became more interested in being the best firefighter that he could be and moving up the chain of command, he was neglecting his family obligations. In his mind, the very reason that he was working so hard-his family-was actually causing him to lose them. Yeah; that was from my very first episode. Truth, sometimes, seems stranger than fiction! You also remember the “stapler incident”, eh? That was all Vinnie’s fault. Little puker is lucky I wasn’t using a nail gun at the time, ‘cause I would’ve emptied a whole clip in his ass. If you want something to go wrong, just have Vinnie around! And do I love coffee? Does Howdy Doody have wooden balls?

 

CG: Yes, but I heard that his were made of balsa wood (laughing).

 

Jake: Jeez; I’m havin’ a hard time not fuckin’ swearing. I know some pups might read this, but shit; I mean, that’s how I fuckin’ communicate. You got that problem sometimes?

 

CG: We all do. There are times where the occasional “F” bomb is appropriate. It is probably the most versatile word in the English language. It can be a noun, verb, adjective and adverb can be used in any tense and has its equivalent in just about any language!

 

Jake: My mom hates hearin’ that shit, you know? I know if I want to piss her off royal, all’s I need to do is “punctuate” a sentence with the old “F” bomb! She’s get very “tense”. You ever use “descriptive” language, Cap or do you use restraints?

 

CG: It depends on the situation. I try not to swear-it sounds like Hell-but there are times where you have to use an occasional “F” bomb for emphasis.

 

Jake: OK; let’s do word association. Kind of a “Pictionary” without paper. I’ll say a word and you say the first word that comes to your mind. You up for that?

 

CG: Sure.

 

Jake: Stationhouse coffee. Fuck; two words. OK; coffee.

 

CG: mmmm coffee!

 

Jake: Music.

 

CG: Anything but gangsta rap. Shit, that’s four words.

 

Jake: Firetruck-technically one word.

 

CG: Red.

 

Jake: Dog.

 

CG: I’ll need two words for that: unconditional love and devotion. Okay; that’s four.

 

Jake: Bar.

 

CG: Refuge.

 

Jake: Drink.

 

CG: Guinness.

 

Jake: Computer.

 

CG: Necessity.

 

Jake: Smoke.

 

CG: In my best New England/Bahstin accent: Fire!

 

Jake: Sky.

 

CG: Flying.

 

Jake: Car.

 

CG: Porsche!

 

Jake: That’s it for me. You got anything else? You know; somethin’ good for the group, as they say? You got the last word.

 

CG: Firefighters have two families…the one they work with and the one they live with. Both are intertwined, but the family at home is numero uno…never forget that!

 

 The article as submitted is published under The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie© umbrella and is the intellectual property of Art Goodrich a.k.a. xchief22 and

ChiefReason. It is protected by federal copyright laws and cannot be re-printed in any form without expressed permission from the author.