Norton Patch VIP Of The Week: Richard Gomes

As a veteran of almost 40 years with his , you'd think Norton Fire Chief Richard Gomes would have been a little bit squeamish at some point about the idea of running into a burning building to save the lives of people who were high-tailing it the other way. But that's just not the case for Gomes, 56, the town's third fire chief ever.

Maybe that's because Gomes faced real danger in his late teens and early 20s as part of a local rock and blues band that played at clubs that weren't exactly sold out.

"You'd see a skirmish in front of you or maybe have to push somebody off of you and keep on playing," he said with a laugh, thinking about his long-gone days as a performer.

These days, Gomes is happy to lead a 30-person department in the town where he was born and raised. It's not something he thought about as a kid growing up in town, although he remembers when he first got the itch—on a first-grade class trip to the center fire station. Having an older brother, John, who was a Norton call firefighter for many years also put the thought in Gomes' head that he might someday join the department.

"I knew by the time I got on the department that I wanted to be a career firefighter, but being the chief didn't enter into it until later," he said.

Gomes likes to spread the credit around the department, saying "almost everyone has a specialty," and he likes to delegate responsibility to those with a particular passion for fire prevention, training, EMS, equipment, apparatus maintenance and so on.

"I love watching people succeed as much as myself," said Gomes, who was named a lieutenant in 1994 and deputy chief in 1997. "It's not about the chief. It's about the work our people do. It's not about the management; it's about operations."

Gomes followed George Burgess as chief in 2003. He's never wavered on his commitment to his chosen profession, but Gomes won't have nearly as long a stint at the helm as his predecessors, Harold Wetherell (1930-1970) and Burgess (1970-2003).

These days, Gomes doesn't go on most calls, saying he trusts his shift commanders to lead the crews. He misses that part of his old job more than anything.

"That's what you sacrifice," he said. "At this point, it's not something I would really be able to go back and do again. That's why I miss it so much. I can't go back. This is a young person's job."

Gomes would love to have more than five call firefighters at his disposal, but knows the handful in Norton is likely to remain at that level for now.

"It's a national problem," he said. "With money and time as valuable as it is, there are very few businesses who are going to let their people leave work."

There have been some tragic outcomes over the years, Gomes said, but it's important to focus on each day and each call on the job at hand.

"You have to try to keep an even keel," he said. "You can't get too high and you can't get too low."

 Free time is sometimes at a premium as a fire chief, Gomes said. "You feel like you could have to go somewhere at any point," he said. But when he does get time off, chances are you'll find him at the race track, the ballpark with his family or at the symphony. Gomes is a season-ticket holder at Talladega Raceway in Alabama "because it's the biggest and the fastest."

He was surprised when he first visited Alabama. "I never knew how beautiful it is," he said. "It reminded me a lot of Vermont with the rolling hills, greenery and all the trees."

Perhaps when Gomes retires, he'll get to visit Alabama more often. But he'll always be a Norton guy.

"I wanted to belong to something and give back to the community," he said. "I'm not really all that different than anyone else. I never really questioned why I was doing this ever in my career. I don't think anyone should lead an organization for more than 10 years and I won't do that here. We've always had a really stable organization and that will be a priority when I retire."

VIP Of The Week will run every Saturday. It will feature town officials, as well as the town's unsung heroes. If you know of anyone who deserves to be recognized, e-mail Norton Patch editor Kelly Mello. Please include your name, phone number, nominee contact information and why they deserve the spotlight.