WILTON, Conn. — For a firefighter, the spark never seems to fade, even after retirement comes.
The same is true for 40-year veteran firefighter Kevin Plank.
After 29 years with the Danbury Department, Plank has moved his way up from volunteer to firefighter to lieutenant, reports The Hour. Then with 32 years of service behind him, he decided to re-enter the Connecticut Fire Academy as a “recruit.”
His work ethic and attitude stood out and last week, the Wilton Fire Department promoted Plank to deputy fire marshal.
Not only was he distinguished by Danbury as the Firefighter of the Year, but he was also honored with the Bravery Award, Honorable Service Award, EMS Award, and three Unit Citations.
Since beginning his training in February, he has participated in five months of fire code training, fire and arson investigation training, and hazardous materials code school.
“It was pretty tedious,” Plank told The Hour. “When looking up codes, every code leads you to some other code, and that code leads you to another code, so it was one big troop.”
In addition to attending classes for three days a week for five months, Plank worked at the fire department during the rest of the workweek, not to mention his duties at home as both a husband, a father and grandfather as well.
While he’s looking forward to his new role in the department, Plank said that this promotion will certainly have its challenges as well.
“When you’re a firefighter, everybody wants to see you and you’re their heroes,” said Plank. “But when you’re in the fire marshal’s office, you’re costing people money by making them fix things that don’t meet code, so people definitely look at you differently.”
Plank mentioned that he’s especially looking forward to teaching young kids about fire safety in his new capacity. Additionally, he also wants to initiate a program geared towards teaching elderly citizens how to ensure fire safety around their homes.