YOUNGSTOWN Assistant vacates fire office
He leaves the city job with mixed emotions.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Joseph P. Jasinski is done with his job, and so is the job.
Jasinski, who served on the Youngstown Fire Department for 31 years, retired Friday, his birthday, as assistant fire chief. His departure marks the end of the ranked position.
"They abolished it in the last contract," the 58-year-old Poland resident said. "I guess I'm a little honored that I am the last one."
It's just the latest bit of history in his career, which started when he was named a firefighter with the department's Station 1 on May 16, 1971. He planned to retire May 16 this year, but things just didn't work out that way, he said. May 16, 1891, was when the city's fire department was established full time.
Promoted in 1975
And it was May 16, 1975, that he was promoted to engineer. From there, he was promoted to captain in October 1979; battalion chief in October 1990; and assistant chief, the highest tested rank in the department, in September 1995.
"I'm leaving with mixed emotions," he said. "When you love a job, it really is hard to leave it."
Jasinski is proud of the years he served on the department -- he joined at 27 on the "spur of the moment" after working in a local steel mill, managing a small business and working a sales job. And he's proud of the men he served with.
"There are heroes in New York to be sure, but our guys are second to none," he said. "I would put them up against anyone in the nation."
There have been plenty of highlights in his career, but sometimes it's the low points that stand out in his mind.
Like the time the department responded to a blaze and the occupants of the home couldn't get out and died. Or the time when a 1-year-old baby died from injuries sustained in another fire.
"I think, what if we had been called a few minutes earlier, or what if ... " he said, his voice trailing off. "You always second-guess yourself, but I know everyone on this department always gives it their all and does everything possible every time."
Jasinski said he first considered retiring five years ago after his wife died. He had a hard time dealing with her death, he said, but these days finds himself looking forward to building a life with his companion, Diane Johns.
He also has four grown children, all of whom are now live outside the Mahoning Valley. Daughter Lisa is a chemical engineer in Chicago, son Paul is a mechanical engineer in Detroit, son Gregory is a mechanical engineer in Marysville, and son Marc is a student at Ohio State University.
Will stay here
Jasinski said he plans to stay in the area, setting and working toward new goals, though he hasn't determined what they will be.
"I'll never forget, my assistant captain when I started, Joe Quinn, gave me some words of advice the first week I started in the department," he said. "He told me to set goals and try to achieve them, never let up on that. I think that will work for anyone today, too. Don't let yourself be stagnant; always be aggressive."
slshaulis@vindy.com