For Canton’s new volunteer fire chief, there’s no place like home
After starting his career as a cadet 15 years ago, New Haven firefighter returns with a new title
From a 14-year-old cadet who was hoping to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather and grand-uncle, to climbing the ranks to become a full-time New Haven firefighter at 23, Jonathan Gotaski can also add Canton volunteer fire and EMS chief to his resume.
The 29-year-old was appointed as chief of the department in April, becoming just the second chief in Canton that began his career as a fire cadet. His journey was particularly special, as he learned alongside his father, Gotaski said.
“My father has been a strong advocate in my corner of pushing me to do bigger and better. He joined [the fire department] when I joined as a cadet, so it was pretty much father and son working hand-in-hand for that,” he said. “There was nothing else like that; to help other people and see some of the things we see in the line of work we do, with your father. Being able to have somebody in your family that understands and is able to sit down and talk about it, the good and the bad, is huge.”
The duo will continue working together, as his father, Tom, is the department’s chief engineer.
And although Gotaski’s been working full time in New Haven since 2015 and will continue to do so, his new title as chief in Canton provides him the opportunity to give back to the department that “showed him the light.”
“[The town of Canton] gave me the groundwork to make this my career. I enjoy giving back to the town that believed in me and got me to where I’m at today,” Gotaski said.
Beginning his career in 2006 as a 14-year-old cadet, he attended his first fire a year later when a big structure fire broke out just across
“[Canton] gave me the groundwork to make this my career. I enjoy giving back to the town that believed in me and got me to where I’m at today,” — Jonathan Gotaski, Canton volunteer fire and EMS chief
from one of the three Canton firehouses.
“You’ll never forget the first one,” Gotaski said. “It was a big fire that brought in a lot of mutual aid from other towns, and you know, just being so young and seeing everybody working together and [I was] helping out in a support role on the department at that time was really, in my opinion, paving my way of what I wanted to do in my future.”
By the time he turned 18, he became a member of the Canton fire and EMS department. Gotaski went on to help with member recruitment, equipment procurement and budgeting.
Then with various certifications, including specialized aerial training, firefighter I and II, and becoming a certified EMT, Gotaski worked his way up the ranks, he said. By 2013, he received a fire science degree from Capital Community College prior to joining the New Haven team two years later.