Friday is last day on job for veteran firefighter

Fesperman

By Jonathan Weaver

Salisbury Post

Some events remain vivid in the mind, even after 31 years.

Salisbury Fire Department Assistant Chief Rick Fesperman remembers in detail his first day on the job. It was an August night in 1974. The call: A television caught fire in a Salisbury motel room.

The department didn't have boots big enough to fit the rookie's size 12 feet. So he squeezed into a fellow firefighter's size 11s.

That memory was one of many shared during a gathering of Fesperman's colleagues, friends and family at Salisbury's Central Fire Station on Innes Street Wednesday. The well-wishers, estimated at close to 200, came to honor the man Fire Chief Bob Parnell called "probably the best tactical firefighter" around.

Fesperman officially retires July 1 from the department he started with all those years ago, but Friday is his last day on the job.

A display table set up in the bay of the central station told some of the story. Badges displayed inside a shadow box showed the ranks Fesperman held through the years: firefighter, engineer, captain, battalion chief, and assistant chief.

A collage of pictures, some taken years ago, showed the camaraderie and lighter side of a firefighter's life.

Colleagues even mounted the grill from a Crown Victoria Fesperman was driving when a woman ran a red light and struck the car 10 years ago. The assistant chief was headed to a fire call when the accident occurred, Parnell recalled. Underneath the mounted grill were the words "510 responding."

Since becoming assistant chief in 1986, Fesperman said his bottom line has always been: "Get these guys back home to their families the next day."

He added: "So far, so good."

His fellow firefighters agree Fesperman showed dedication to the job. Several spoke of his tendency to rise early and get to the station before anyone else on his shift. Battalion Chief Bo Geter recalled numerous times when Fesperman would arrive as much as two hours before his day was scheduled to start.

Fesperman explained he always used that time "to get things done" in a quiet atmosphere.

Even before he stepped into administrative positions, Fesperman, when he was off, would return to help fight fires, retired Fire Chief Sam Brady said. "He has a tremendous understanding of fire behavior" and is "one of the best fire ground commanders."

"He's just been a tremendous resource" for Salisbury and surrounding areas, Brady said.

Brady recalled instances where Fesperman helped out on large fires in Mocksville and Lexington, and in those situations, he'd usually end up helping at the command level.

Salisbury City Manager David Treme echoed the former chief. "Rick Fesperman made a major contribution" to the safety of Salisbury's residents, he said.

The Salisbury Rotary Club named Fesperman the Rookie Firefighter of the Year in 1974. He went on to be named the Firefighter of the Year by the Rowan County Fireman's Association in 1980. The Rotary Club honored him again in 1982 as the Veteran Firefighter of the Year.

He was promoted to engineer in 1976 and six years later became a captain. In less than a year's time between 1985 and 1986, he went from battalion chief to assistant chief.

"Thirty-one years has gone by in the blink of an eye," Fesperman said. "I've loved the job."