Replacing a longtime fire chief can be a bit daunting. It's especially difficult when that chief served for more than four decades.
"It's an honor, very humbling," said Sean Barber, who recently was appointed Suffield Township fire chief.
The township's Board of Trustees tapped Barber to take over from former Fire Chief Bob Rasnick, who retired at the end of June after 42 years as chief and 47 years as a township firefighter. Barber was formally sworn in July 14 at a trustees meeting.
Barber has been a firefighter for more than 30 years and joined the township department in 2003. He was a captain prior to his promotion.
"I've been blessed for 23½ years to work under Chief Rasnick," said Barber. "I have a lot of not only respect, but gratitude because he helped form me into the man and leader I am today."
Township Trustee Tom Calcei, who serves as the board's liaison to the fire department, said Suffield Township contracted with the Ohio Fire Chiefs Association to collect applications and vet candidates. Calcei said 10 candidates applied, though two had to drop out for medical reasons.
"We had some really good candidates," said Calcei.
The OFCA ranked the candidates, and trustees chose the top four to interview. Calcei said Barber was chosen because of his experience with the township, as well as community support.
"He has kind of an inside tribal knowledge of what's going on," Calcei said. "Obviously, it's hard to replace 42 years of chief, so we had to try and find somebody who could stand in the shadow of the guy who was there before him and succeed. We look forward to him succeeding."
Barber got his start in the fire service when he joined the former Brady Lake Fire Department in December 1995.
"Prior to that, I actually volunteered for the Portage County [Emergency Management Agency]. It kind of led me to the fire service," he said.
Barber was a member of a four-wheel, all-terrain vehicle club and helped transport nurses to Geauga County, and with search and rescue and missing persons efforts.
He also did disaster assessments, worked with the Portage County Amateur Radio Service and volunteered for SKYWARN, a program that recruits and trains volunteers as weather spotters who report their observations to the National Weather Service.
Barber estimates he did that volunteer work for roughly five years before joining Brady Lake Fire Department. He continued working there and in Suffield for more than a decade until the Brady Lake department closed in September 2014. Kent Fire Department now handles fire and EMS coverage in Brady Lake.
Barber also worked as a firefighter in Hartville for about five years, stepping away only recently.
Barber went from being a "line guy" in Suffield with his promotion to captain in 2022. He also rose through the ranks in Brady Lake, finishing his time there as assistant chief.
Barber said that over the years he has worked as a fire and emergency medical service instructor and estimates he has brought in roughly $1.5 million in grants between the Suffield and Brady Lake fire departments.
He said the grants varied widely in size, from about $2,000 to about $280,000 for air packs for Suffield.
Barber said he does not see any significant changes coming for the department.
"While change is inevitable in our career, or our job, Chief Rasnick set us up pretty well," he said. "I was blessed to be a part of a lot of things he took care of before he left. I like to tell everybody I'm not here to reshape the wheel. I just want to keep it in line and improve as we go."
Under Rasnick, the department went from volunteer to paid staff. Of the 28 firefighters, four are full time, including the chief. The rest are part-timers. This allows three or four firefighters to be staffed at a time, depending on the shift.
But, Barber said, this likely will need to change at some point. He estimated calls have roughly doubled since he joined the department in 2003.
"The biggest things I foresee in the future, based on the fact that we're growing so much, is increased staffing. But that will definitely take some time," he said.
Barber grew up in Kent and has lived with his wife, Jenn, in Brimfield Township since 2000, the year they were married. The couple have two daughters, Page, 22, and Morgan, 18.
In his off time, he said he enjoys fishing. The family joins in, which he said helps to make up for the time he is away while working.
"I've been a competitive bass fisherman for years," said Barber. "Any time I can spend with them, just watch and listen, is very much cherished."
Barber said that his temperment is suited for work as a firefighter.
"I'm an adrenalin junkie. Always have been," he said. "But the passion to help people is really what drove me. It's just very self-rewarding to be able to help people in need or whatever the case may be, and once I got a little taste, I just ran with it."
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Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: 'Adrenaline junkie.' Suffield Twp. names 1st new fire chief since 1984