Retiring Deputy Chief Mills shares thoughts on being a Grafton firefighter

Deputy Fire Chief Michael Mills, who served with the Grafton Fire Department for 47 years, is retiring. This is the letter he submitted to the town:

Please let this serve as my notice to retire as Deputy Chief of the Grafton Fire Department, effective September 9, as we have sold our home and will be leaving Grafton. For 47 years, I have had the privilege of serving Grafton with my brothers and sisters in the fire service, protecting both our neighbors and their property. The fire department has been a major piece of my life and the life of my family, teaching us many lessons about the value of service which will always stay with us.

As Grafton looks ahead to the hiring of full-time leadership roles in the department, I find it important as I am leaving to recognize the commitment of the call firefighters who will continue to serve our community. Our call firefighters do not have days off and they sign on understanding that commitment. Firefighters leave their dinner tables, weddings, children’s events, beds in the middle of the night when the tones go off signaling the need for a response and their families learn early on the sacrifices they will make so that our community stays safe. Firefighters in a full-time employed position would be awarded vacation time off but in a call department, the members effectively communicate their vacation plans to be sure that there will be a response or that everyone knows we will be running short should there be a major incident. 

Service as a call firefighter in my home town has meant that when we respond to a car accident, a water emergency or a fire, the faces we see are people we know, which add another layer of emotion and urgency to the job we do. Each member of the department today has a full-time profession which supports their families, which means they do not do this job for the money. Grafton firefighters serve because they are dedicated to their community and that dedication is something that is truly priceless.

I have always been proud to be able to say I am a member of the Grafton Fire Department and I thank the community for allowing me the honor to serve in this capacity. I want to thank each member of the department who along the years has been a part of our family. Our children always knew that no matter where they went in town, they had the additional eyes of the brotherhood watching out for them, which has always been appreciated by Sue and me.

Deputy Chief Michael Mills