50-year volunteer firefighter found career rewarding
Mar. 7—HERMITAGE — When Robert Szabo retired from the Hermitage Volunteer Fire Department late last year, he brought a career spanning almost 50 years to a close.
And it's time the 74-year-old said he's very proud of — from being able to serve with his fellow Hermitage firefighters while protecting the people in the community.
"We have a great crew here. We really do," Szabo said of the fire department.
Szabo's time with the Hermitage Volunteer Fire Department started in September of 1974. Although he didn't originally plan on becoming a volunteer firefighter, Szabo said he was always interested in the field and was introduced to it by his friend and Hermitage firefighter, Ron Speck.
"There were a couple times me and my wife would be out driving and we'd see a fire, so I'd take her home and go back and watch," Szabo said.
After signing on with the department, Szabo said he pursued as much training as he could, due to the time investment that volunteering requires and the potential danger involved in firefighting.
Eventually, his duties ranged from deputy fire chief to driver's training officer over the years.
"The more training you have, the more calm and collected you are when you respond to an emergency, even if you don't necessarily have all the answers," Szabo said. "And when the other guys see someone taking control of the situation instead of panicking, that attitude spreads to everyone else."
Along with his firefighter training, Szabo was among the students in Mercer County's first EMT course in 1975, which was held at Sharon General Hospital. Szabo served as an EMT until 1981, since the field requires repeated training and courses to maintain a certification.
However, that training allowed Szabo to maintain some understanding of medical issues or injuries, allowing him to gauge a person's condition at a scene until EMTs could arrive or interact with EMTs if necessary.
"I could understand some of the terms and language that the ambulance crews used, so I could get them up to speed when they arrived at a scene," Szabo said.
Since the Hermitage Volunteer Fire Department responds to about 800 calls a year, Szabo had a chance to see some unusual situations in his time.
In one instance, a resident passed away in the second story of their house, and the firefighters had to take out a wall to remove the person.
During another call in 1994, the firefighters responded to a muylti-vehicle accident on Interstate 80 in Shenango Township involving a bus of people from the Woodstock '94 festival.
"There were about 40 people we had to get out of the bus," Szabo said. "There were no deaths or major injuries, but that was a lot of people to take care of."
There were plenty of changes, both locally and nationally, when it came to firefighting during Szabo's tenure.
The Hermitage Volunteer Fire Department used to operate out of the city municipal building on North Hermitage Road, and eventually built its main fire station on Highland Road, along with the additional station on Maple Drive.
The equipment has also become more expensive, with the oxygen packs and turnout gear costing thousands of dollars — although the equipment has helped improve firefighters' safety, Szabo said.
"Back when I first started, you had a helmet, a liner for your helmet, a coat and gloves," Szabo said.
Along with volunteer firefighting, Szabo held a number of jobs over the years, and most recently worked at Solar Atmospheres until he retired in 2014.
Despite having to juggle full-time jobs with volunteering at the fire department, Szabo said he didn't usually miss major events such as birthdays and prioritized spending time with his family whenever he could.
"Family always has to come first," he said.
Szabo continued firefighting and originally considered retiring in 2020, but when the COVID-19 pandemic set in, Szabo said he decided to remain with the department until the crisis subsided.
"I didn't want to retire and leave everyone behind with all that going on," Szabo said of the pandemic.
With things returning to normal, Szabo eventually decided to retire from the fire department last December — giving him time to pursue other activities such as exercising and walking, and spending time with his family.
But aside from keeping himself busy, Szabo is also adjusting from a constant state of readiness to a more relaxed lifestyle, such as working around the house without his emergency radio always playing in the background.
"When me and Cathy go out to eat, we don't have to take two cars anymore, because I don't have to worry about leaving in the middle of dinner in case a call comes through," Szabo said.
Szabo was recognized for his years of service during the February meeting of the Hermitage Board of Commissioners, where Hermitage fire Chief John Flynn spoke about Szabo's career during the sometimes-emotional event. The firefighters also gave his wife Cathy Szabo a bouquet of flowers as well.
"You're just as much a part of this," Flynn told Cathy. "There were times you got left at a restaurant or a party, or we'd have to call you and ask you to pick up Bob for us because he was out on a walk."
Commissioners President Duane Piccirilli then presented Szabo with a proclamation from the commissioners, thanking him for his years of service.
"The city was blessed to have the support and leadership of Mr. Szabo in our volunteer fire department," Piccirilli said.
Although he's stepping away, Szabo recommended that any younger residents interested in firefighting — like him back in '74 — talk to someone already involved to learn about the job, and to give it a try.
Firefighting can be an "extremely rewarding" experience, and many of the younger firefighters who just started volunteering are as passionate as those who have served for years, Szabo said.
"If you take someone who's interested and show them what it's like, and they start training and doing it firsthand — they love it," Szabo said.
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