Former Fire Chief Gilbert reflects on career

Today, we're featuring former Fire Chief Lyman Gilbert.  Check back tomorrow for a profile on new Fire Chief Rick Lyle.

Southbury Fire Chief Lyman Gilbert ended four years of service at the position on July 1.

Gilbert, a Southbury resident and Southbury Volunteer Firemen's Association (SVFA) member for 12 years, will stay on with the association as a firefighter while Rick Lyle becomes the new fire chief.

Gilbert, who grew up in Ansonia, has been involved in emergency response work for 30 years, starting at a Milford Explorer Post when he was a 12-year-old . Gilbert said as he got closer to age 18, he knew becoming a firefighter was the next step.

"I liked it," Gilbert said.

Gilbert was a member of the Ansonia Fire Department for 12 years, where he earned the rank of 1st lieutenant. He also served as an EMT in Ansonia. Gilbert's father was fire chief in Ansonia for ten years from 1985 to 1995.

"He's been in [firefighting] forever," Gilbert said.

Gilbert became interested in firefighting both because of his father and his own desires.

"I had an interest because he was involved," Gilbert said.

The Gilberts' connection to firefighting is strong, but the extremely dangerous nature of the work has not escaped the family. Lyman's brother, Kevin — also a firefighter in Ansonia — was paralyzed after a fall from a ladder while fighting a fire in June 1995.

Gilbert emphasized the "tight-knit" atmosphere of the SVFA, calling the firefighters a good group of guys.

"[It] does, to some level, become a brotherhood.  A family," Gilbert said.

Since arriving in Southbury, Gilbert worked his way up the ranks of the SVFA, rising from lieutenant to captain to assistant chief, until his first election as fire chief in 2006. Gilbert was elected to three further terms during the SVFA's yearly elections.

As fire chief, Gilbert was deeply involved with the entire SVFA, from management and budget to training and response.

"You're in charge of everything," he said.

Gilbert said it was important to delegate authority, but as chief he was ultimately responsible for all facets of the SVFA.

One of Gilbert's favorite memories as chief was the SVFA 75th anniversary celebration in 2007, which he called "a big undertaking." Events included a parade and a ball, which was attended by many former members of the association.

"A lot of the old-timers came," he said.

Gilbert said the current firefighters enjoyed their company and trading stories with them. On a larger community level, the celebration was well received by the town.

The event also helped the department come together after being fractured by the Southbury eight, a group of young firefighters who posted inflammatory material about the department on the Internet, Gilbert said.  Current Fire Chief Rick Lyle said the members of the eight were "good firefighters" who didn't like the current rules or administration.

The eight were suspended after the incident, and a vote was called over firing the instigator altogether.  Ultimately, all eight transferred to different departments when their suspension ended.

Gilbert said it was a challenge to bring people back together after the incident, and the 75th anniversary helped do that.

He said the association's annual clambake is a good memory as well, a time where firefighters, their families and retired members come together. This was especially important to Gilbert, as 10 to 12 former members of the association have died over the past four years.

Gilbert pointed to effective room and content fire control while he was chief, saying that great stops were made where fires could have continued and resulted in larger or total losses.

Gilbert is also happy with gains in equipment made during his time as chief, especially a cast pumper that produces effective fire-stopping foam comprised of air and water. He called the pumper a "big up charge," but one that works very well and is "a good tool for the toolbox."

Three challenges Gilbert said the department will face in the future are recruitment, false alarms and how much time volunteer firefighters can contribute.

"We need more volunteers," he said.

The amount of unnecessary fire calls created by malfunctioning automated alarms puts particular stress on the department because "people can only give so much of their time, especially during the day," Gilbert said.

Asked to reflect on what he liked about the job, Gilbert said he "enjoyed working with guys to come up with solutions, to keep the department on an even keel."

With more than 80 members of the SVFA, Gilbert said it was an "interesting dynamic" to get everyone to work together.

For volunteers, there is no employer to employee "power of the check," Gilbert said. He said the real challenge is getting everyone to work together on their own time.

Lyle, the new fire chief, said Gilbert has left things in good shape for him. The two are friends inside and outside the department, and Gilbert challenged Lyle to become an officer with the SVFA.

"[He's a] hard worker, a lot of fun, we had a good time," Lyle said. "We're basically family."