GUILDERLAND — Robert Perry shows all the signs of an experienced firefighter.

He’s nonchalant when he talks about entering a building just struck by lightning, or about needing stitches on his head, or about catching a child arsonist.
"It’s always an interesting challenge," Perry said of fire-fighting. "But, you get used to it."
The 76-year-old was recognized Tuesday for being with the McKownville Fire Department for 55 years. He received a proclamation from the town board and Supervisor Kenneth Runion declared July 12 "Robert Perry Day in Guilderland."

Perry, who looked fit and youthful for his age, told The Enterprise that he has no plans to retire from the department. His experience, he said, is useful in a dangerous job.

Perry has lived in McKownville his entire life. His father, uncle, and brother all belonged to the fire department. So, at 21, Perry naturally decided to join.

He served as chief for 15 years in the 1960’s and ’70’s, and again for two years in 1994 and 1995. He also spent many years serving as assistant chief and in other offices.

Perry spent 12 years in the 1970’s and ’80’s working for the town’s police department as an arson investigator.
"I had a police sergeant as my partner and, any time a fire was suspicious, we’d investigate," he said. "...We had a lot of suspicious fires, too. We found several people involved in arsons."

One sticks out in Perry’s mind. A few days after an elderly woman died, a child burned down her house, he said. The child used his homework to start the fire and not all of the papers burned. Perry was able to determine who started the fire, because the arsonist’s name was on the papers, he said.

For a living, Perry worked for Sterling Drug, a company that closed a long time ago.
"I played chemist most of the time," he said. "But, I’d still be in charge of fire protection. Fire showed up a lot in my career."

Answering the call

The biggest change between when Perry joined the department and now is the equipment, he said.

Before firefighters had masks, they had to rush into buildings with no protection from the smoke.
"I probably breathed in too much smoke early on," Perry said. "But, after the war, we got air packs."

Perry recalled the McKownville department getting its first fire truck in the 1950’s. The truck cost $8,000.

This is a contrast from today, he said, where trucks cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Of the first truck, he said, "We use it for parades now."

Another difference in the department is that, 50 years ago, all of the members lived right in McKownville. Today, many live outside the fire district, Perry said, and there are fewer firefighters around to instantly respond to a fire.

Perry praised the nearby University at Albany. Many students have joined the department.
"I can’t think of a bad kid that we had out of there," Perry said.

Perry is on call at the fire department during the day now, he said, because that’s when he’s most needed. He does not plan on stopping anytime soon.
"They need manpower and experience and I know what needs to be done," he said.

Perry said that, while being a firefighter is interesting, there are few surprises left.
"After this many years, we’re going into reruns," he said.

The job doesn’t even frighten him, he said.
"You get used to it," he said. "You learn to know what’s going on and when to back out. The younger guys just charge ahead....It takes a long time to get experience because you don’t have that many fires."

The McKownville Fire Department now has a quarter of the structure fires it had when Perry joined. This is probably because of smoke detectors, he said. But, he added, smoke detectors cause the department to get a lot more calls that turn out to be false alarms.
He has a lot of friends at the McKownville Fire Department. "We old-timers stick together," he said.

Tuesday, as Perry was honored by the town board, Chief David Clancy and eight other members of the McKownville Fire Department stood around Perry. Everyone looked proud, standing straight in perfectly pressed uniforms. Perry’s daughter and friends looked on.
"I’m surprised," Perry told The Enterprise of his award. "I think it’s nice to recognize people when they do something...Not too many people get to this point in life."

Most of his family members have died, Perry said, including his wife, Peg.
"I owe a lot to my wife," he said, looking down. "She put up with all the time I was gone."
Asked if his wife had ever been nervous about his fighting fires, Perry said, "No, she was a nurse."
But, he said, "She did get mad at me one time. We had a bad thunderstorm and we just had our first baby...Lightning hit a building and it caught fire and I took off..."

Perry was only hurt once on the job, he said.
"I got hit in the head with a hose and I needed stitches," Perry said. "It happened when I was loading it on the truck."
He concluded of fire-fighting, "It’s been my avocation for a lot of years. Each fire’s a little different. It’s an interesting challenge to go in and do your thing."