By Debbie LaPlaca
Telegram & Gazette
Copyright 2007 Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
CHARLTON, Mass. — Fire Chief Ralph W. Harris Sr. retires this week from a 43-year career fighting fires and operating a department for which he served as the town’s first full-time fire chief.
Chief Harris was revered and recognized for his indelible accomplishments Saturday when about 140 people came together for a reception in the Overlook banquet room. Among those who attended the surprise event hosted by the Charlton Firefighters Association were area fire chiefs, selectmen, state Sen. Stephen M. Brewer, D-Barre, and state Rep. Geraldo Alicea, D-Charlton.
“It was disbelief at first; he thought he was going to a birthday party for his brother-in-law,” daughter Lynda M. Foisy said, adding, “He was spoiled with lots of presents, attention and awards. It was really a great tribute to my father.”
Of the eight citations, plaques and awards from entities such as the state Senate and House of Representatives, Chief Harris said, “I was overwhelmed.”
Assistant Fire Chief Curtis J. Meskus served as master of ceremonies, and in his tribute to the chief said, “When you started with the department, the Town of Charlton had about 4,000 people with a land area of 43 square miles; one of the largest towns in the state. There were probably 900 homes, in an era in which cows are said to have out numbered residents.”
Today, he said, the department serves 14,000 people in 4,000 households, with a call volume of nearly 1,900 runs per year.
Among the many accomplishments Assistant Chief Meskus attributed to Chief Harris, he said one of the greatest was, “Allowing the members of the department to grow as individuals and letting the individual members’ talent grow the department.”
Mr. Harris moved with his family to Charlton in 1964 and joined the department as an auxiliary firefighter. Over the years he moved up the chain of command, serving as lieutenant, captain, assistant chief, deputy chief and then in 1989, fire chief.
“We had the start of a full-time Fire Department but I was still a call fire chief. In 1998 I became the first full-time fire chief,” he said in a recent telephone interview.
During his tenure, Chief Harris implemented significant changes in equipment, technology and safety for firefighters.
“We’ve gone from the days of using the telephone and siren to alert firefighters, to Plectron home receivers and now to pagers that are carried on the firefighter’s belt,” he said.
Chief Harris pursued grants and local business support to fund the purchase of advanced equipment, such as the department’s thermal imagers.
“I believe he has brought this department to the great level that it is and I thank him for that,” said his successor, Acting Chief Charles E. Cloutier Jr. who served under Chief Harris for 13 years.
While adapting the department to advances in technology and safety was one aspect of his duties, he also led about 30 firefighters responding to emergency calls as diverse as any rural community could muster: Rescuing cats in trees, puppies trapped in walls, and pulling cows from mud. Yet the call to protect life and property was his charge as chief for 18 years and he accomplished this without a fatality; a distinction which has brought the department many awards.
When asked to what he attributed his successful career, Chief Harris said, “The men and women of the department. Their cooperation, training and expertise kept me going as the fire chief.”
Having reached the Worcester County Retirement Board’s mandatory age for retirement at 65, his last official day with the department is Saturday.
After 43 years of dropping everything when called, Chief Harris says he looks forward to finishing projects at home without interruption. During his retirement, he plans to remain active with regional and local emergency planning committees.