Mayfield Heights Firefighter Retires, Stays on as Gates Mills Chief

P. Thomas Robinson often worked 24-hour shifts during his 33 years with the Mayfield Heights Fire Department, but he didn't use his consecutive days off to snooze.

Instead, he took on additional work that ranged from providing antenna tower rescue training with Bowling Green State University's State Fire School to his current, part-time job as Gates Mills fire chief.

Mayfield Heights City Council recognized Robinson in May, commending him for his service and passing a resolution. Robinson decided to remain chief of Gates Mills, where has also worked for 16 years, for one simple reason.

"I wasn't quite done," he said with a smile.

Robinson's firefighting career began in 1975, his last year of high school at Willoughby South. He participated in a cadet program that let students work early. He worked part-time for Willoughby Hills for five years before passing his first and only test and gaining full-time employment with Mayfield Heights.

A former HVAC and electrical engineer, Robinson only joined the high school program following a friend's recommendation, but quickly grew attached to the concept of helping people.

"Every day you're doing something different, and, of course, I enjoyed the action," he said.

It would seem that Robinson won't be experiencing much action in Gates Mills — the village had just 144 fire/EMS calls last year, compared to Mayfield's average of 4,000 per year. But he says he'll get the fix he needs because Gates Mills is a paid-on-call department. Firefighters/paramedics get paged for emergencies, and that includes the chief.

"My role here is administrative but because it's so small, you still get to do all of the hands-on stuff," Robinson said. "I was at a training drill (Monday) and drove a fire truck to call. The frequency isn't there, and it's still an adjustment."

Robinson began working for Gates Mills as a training officer on his days off from Mayfield in 1996. His role with the village kept growing until 2005 when he was named chief. He did a lot more with his time off besides just working for Gates Mills, though. Aside from the BGSU training, he was also head of the Rope Rescue Division of the Hillcrest Area Technical Rescue Team and is currently head of the Hillcrest Fire Chiefs Association.

He also represents Cuyahoga County in the five-county Ohio Region 2 Urban Search and Rescue Advisory Committee. He provides elevator rescue course through his own company, Professional Technical Resources. He instructs departments all over, including Cleveland Fire, where he taught six classes for about 140 firefighters in 2012.

His rescue background includes trench, ice, swift water and structural collapse — all areas that he knew nothing about in the '80s.

"Training is a lot of fun, but it's a lot of hard work," he said. "As much as you do the training, sometimes you don't even get to do what you've trained for." 

Even when Robinson is away from work, one of his favorite activities makes him feel like he's on the job.

"I like repelling from the 800-foot bridge over the New River (in West Virginia)," he said. "That's a lot of fun, I probably went there 10 years in a row."

He also enjoys riding his motorcycle and admiring the growth of his family, including a daughter who will graduate high school next week.

Since he is still working part-time, he hasn't fully grasped leaving Mayfield.

"I really dont' know what retirement feels like," he said. "This feels more like vacation."