‘I saw many triumphs and tragedies’
Firefighter hangs up his gear after 42 years on the job in Meriden
It was a “bittersweet” moment for a firefighter who had devoted his life to the service.
But Meriden Assistant Chief Robert Burdick got the send off he deserved after more than four decades of service to the Silver City at a ceremony at the Truck Company 1 on 61 Platt Street — a place Burdick has spent countless hours.
The firehouse was bustling with dozens of fellow firefighters giving Burdick handshakes and well wishes.
The life-long Meriden resident is hanging up his gear after 42 years of service — that includes five years as a South Meriden Volunteer Fire Department where he cut his teeth initially as a teenager out of Platt High School.
“It’s bittersweet because I love my job,” the 64-year-old said. “My interest in firefighting initially peaked my last year of high school. Someone took me to New York City and we visited firehouses. I saw the camaraderie between the firemen, and I saw they loved their job. So I joined I joined the South Meriden Volunteer after I graduated from Platt in 1977.”
Retired Meriden Fire Lt. Maggie Bender said Burdick was a big part of the community for a long time.
“He rose up through the ranks and he served his time and now it’s time for him to go,” Bender said.
There was nothing but support for Burdick throughout the fire house on Friday.
“He was dedicated and the community should be proud to have someone like that,” retired Meriden Fire Lt. Brian Giesing said. “He was fun. We had good times. He was part of the fabric of our fire department.”
Meriden Fire Chief Ken Morgan said having a fireman on the job for more than 40 years is a rarity.
“Looking around the room, I see a lot of retired firefighters and the institution knowledge with them leaves and I wish I could bottle that up and put it in the new guys,” Morgan said. “Because the things the guys have seen and dealt with all of these young kids are going to have to deal with that in the future… i wish him well in his retirement. He’s going to leave a void.”
Burdick said that, during his time as a volunteer it clicked in his mind, he had found his calling.
His first paying gig in the profession was his home city of Meriden at the Pratt Street location in 1981. Burdick said that house was one of the busiest companies in the state for several years.
“It was there where I did two child births — which was very satisfying. It feels like that was yesterday,” he said. “I worked with a lot of good firefighters who acted as mentors for me and taught me the fine details about the job.”
In 1986 he graduated as a lieutenant after earning his associate degree in Fire Science and Technology. A few years later he was promoted to captain, which put him in charge of an engine company. He served in that role for 10 years before being promoted to assistant chief. In that role he served in the same 24-hour shifts and was still in the field. It was not an administrative position. He also served as an incident commander during his tenure as assistant chief.
“In my career I saw many triumphs and tragedies,” Burdick said. “The things that bother the most were the calls involving children.”
Among the biggest fires he responded to was a fouralarm blaze at the Crown Village condominium complex near the corner of Crown Street and Hall Avenue in 2015.
Burdick said he also recalls a New Year’s Eve fire on Sunset Avenue, also in 2015, but his crew saved a man who was trapped on the second floor of the building. Firefighter Bryan Finch received the Medal of Honor for his heroics during that event.
“My team found him, brought him out and he survived,” Burdick said.
Burdick said his management style was to empower and not micromanage. He oversaw 22 firefighters. He enjoyed his responsibilities in incident command.
“I had a tremendous rapport with my shift,” he said. “I told them I had trust in them, and they had trust in me. I gave my team a lot of responsibility, so they had the opportunity to learn. This helped train our next generation of firefighters.”
“At the last promotional ceremony three officers were promoted and all were in my shift and that makes me proud,” Burdick said. “I give them all the credit. I hope the way I ran my shift had something to do with it but I’m very proud of them. My team is my No. 1 thing.”
Burdick and his wife of 40 years, Ella, have five children — Jennifer, Heather, Shannon, Robert Jr. and Brandon. All of their children went to Maloney High.
Burdick added that his late mother was a well-respected nurse in Meriden and that’s how he learned a caring nature.
Burdick has not worked for the last calendar year due to a medical condition.
“There’s a lot of job satisfaction but the brotherhood and going out in the shiny red fire trucks you miss,” Burdick said. “My feeling is that I’ve done enough and I’m satisfied with that and it’s time for the next generation.”
Burdick said he was also proud of his work following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. He responded on behalf of the Red Cross the next day and worked the scene for two days following the attack.
“The streets weren’t cleared around the World Trade Center, so we got dropped off and walked. It looked like a movie set because there was dust everywhere,” Burdick said. “We wanted to preserve the dignity of the victims and return them to their loved ones. We worked on what they called ‘the pile.’ ”
“We had a bucket brigade like the old days of fighting fires,” Burdick said. “The fire was still burning underneath the pile. The head of the line filled the buckets and passed them down the line. As the same time we were returning empty buckets. Nobody spoke. It was all police and firemen and we worked like a well-oiled machine.”
Burdick also was involved in recovering a body that had identification for the 102nd floor on the South Tower.
“That was an emotional thing,” Burdick said. “When we went to the train at Grand Central Station everyone wanted to shake our hands. Everyone wanted to be down there to help but we went down with their spirit.”
Burdick said the experience affected him three years later and he needed to seek help. For the last 18 years, he is in New York for the 9-11 ceremonies.
“Going to school, I would have never imagined doing the things that I have done,” Burdick said. “There’s a lot of very proud moments but there’s also a lot of scars in incidents you have gone to and things you have seen. Those scars are eternal, and people don’t see them. Sometimes they are hard to remember. But I’m proud of those scars. I wouldn’t change anything. I would do it all over again.”