Chief Smith Looks Back on His Time at DAFD with an Eye to the Future

| 3 min | by Doug Marrin |

Dexter Area Fire Department Chief Robert Smith recently celebrated five years with the department. We took the opportunity to check in with the Chief on his quinquennial milestone.

“I love the job as a Fire Chief, as stressful as it can sometimes be and unpredictable,” says Chief Smith. “Certainly, in these times of COVID, it has been very challenging, but I love the job.”

And as much as he enjoys the work, the DAFD is happy to have him. “At the October 15 DAFD Board meeting, they extended my contract for two years,” said Chief Smith. “Even though I’m an at-will employee, the gesture is a vote of confidence, and I appreciate that.”

When he came to the department in 2015, Chief Smith found operations in a bit of disarray with a lack of accountability and conformity to state mandates and regulations. Since then, the department has developed professionally and improved its compliance with requirements. He helped develop a capital improvement plan which allowed the DAFD to begin replacing outdated equipment. Two fire engines were purchased at about $600,000, replacing a 30-year-old engine and a 20-year-old engine. Chief Smith has also written grants, and the department has received around $500,000 in funds that have gone toward new equipment.

“I think we've come a very, very long way here in five years,” says the Chief. “The transformations that we’ve made here sometimes take many more years, but I’ve got a great group of people here. I’m happy and proud of what we’ve done.”

Running the DAFD is different in some ways when compared to some other departments. In addition to administrating the compliance, training, and execution of the team, Chief Smith also takes on additional responsibilities often managed by different departments in some municipalities. Comparing his duties to running a business, Chief Smith also manages the finances, human resources, and other administrative tasks.

Looking ahead, Chief Smith is beginning to think of retirement—someday.

“I am getting to that age where you start thinking about retirement,” he says. “Everybody has to do that, but it’s certainly not in my near future.”

He hopes to work anywhere from two to five more years desiring to finish his career in Dexter. One of the Chief’s main objectives is to see Dexter through the transitional period into new firefighting facilities. The contention around how to update Dexter’s outdated fire station, especially among the City Council members, is well known in the community. The disagreement has all but paralyzed the City from moving forward with the project.

“We’ve got new members on the Council now, and I don’t know where they stand on this project,” says Chief Smith. “But the City is in a tough situation. New fire stations are very hard on the community to get completed because everybody has a different idea of how it should be done.”

“The issue needs to be voted on by the community,” he adds. “In doing that, we would have some path to the future as far as what direction we should take to improve our facilities. The current fire station cannot be remodeled to house our firefighting requirements and needs.”

The area the DAFD covers is the City of Dexter and the two townships of Webster and Dexter. The department is expanding with a new substation under construction in Webster Township. The significant advantage it provides, along with the Dexter Township substation, is reduced response times. This is an essential factor when you consider that 85% of the department’s calls are for medical emergencies.

“It’s the difference between a 10-minute response time down to one or two minutes,” says the Chief. “That’s significant. When we’re talking about medical emergencies, the sooner we can intervene, the more effective we can be.”

In summing up his first five years here, Chief Smith says, “I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. I want to thank all those people that I have worked with. I want the community to know that I’m here looking out for their best interests, and my door is always open.”