Westport Fire Chief Retires After Over 30 Years Of Service

WESTPORT, CT — Fire Chief Robert Yost officially retired Saturday after over 30 years with the Westport Fire Department.

In a statement, Tooker said she accepted Yost's retirement letter on Dec. 30.

"The town of Westport and its residents have been very fortunate to be the beneficiaries of Rob's expertise and dedication throughout his 34 years," Tooker said in a statement. "As fire chief, Rob has assured that our firefighters are appropriately recruited, trained, and equipped to serve in their roles of preventing and fighting fires and providing rescue services."

Tooker also announced Deputy Chief Michael Kronick will be promoted to department chief and emergency management director following Yost's retirement.

"I am very confident that the command of the Westport Fire Department will remain in capable hands...Mike has the proven ability and expertise to seamlessly and effectively take over the role as chief," Tooker said. "Like Chief Yost, Mike has a breadth of knowledge, skill and understanding that will ensure that the current high standards of safety and efficiency will be maintained in the Westport Fire Department."

Yost was sworn in as a Westport firefighter in 1988. After becoming the department's first Emergency Medical Service Instructor, he became a paramedic in 1995 and was promoted to lieutenant in 2006. He was also the fire department leader of the joint Fire and Police Dive Rescue Team.

In 2009, Yost was promoted to assistant chief, and in 2011 was promoted to assistant chief training officer. He was appointed as fire chief and emergency management director in February 2017.

"As the Emergency Management Director, Rob has been on the front lines in protecting all our residents," Tooker said. "On Rob's watch, Westport has weathered some particularly devastating storms and tense situations."

Tooker also noted Yost's attention to FEMA reimbursement regulations and opportunities has enabled many Westport residents to receive federal financial assistance in repairing and replacing storm-damaged properties.

"On behalf of the residents of Westport, his fellow employees, and his firefighting colleagues," Tooker said, "I am grateful for Rob's longstanding, exemplary and dedicated service. I wish him all the best in his retirement."

During his career in Westport, Yost has obtained three Edmund Duffy Unit Citations, a John Gallagher Award for an Unusual Act of Valor and a Certificate of Exemplary Police Action. He is a member of the National Ski Patrol, the Connecticut Interstate Wildfire Crew and the Connecticut West Incident Management Team.

"It has been an honor to serve the town of Westport for the last 34 years, and a privilege to work with the finest firefighters and coworkers in the state," Yost said in a statement. "I look forward to enjoying a new chapter in my life and I will always hold the Westport Fire Department near and dear to my heart."

Kronick joined the Westport Fire Department in July 1998 and was promoted to lieutenant in January 2009. He was later promoted to the position of deputy chief in October 2017.

During his career with the Westport Fire Department, he has been awarded the Edmund Duffy Unit Citation, the Chief Shippey and the Argenio awards for service to the department.

A Stratford resident, Kronick serves on the Connecticut Incident Management Team and was instrumental in forming the Fairfield County Strike Team and Task Force system, Tooker said. He is a member of the Connecticut Interstate Fire Crew and has been on several national wildfire deployments on the West Coast.