All in the family

Father and Son - Smokin'

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It’s not uncommon for boys to look up to their fathers, but Andy Frost III took it one step further. The township’s assistant fire chief said he knew from an early age that he wanted a career in safety enforcement, something he credits to his father, Austintown Fire Chief Andy Frost Jr.

Austintown's father and son team always have each other's backs

By Elise Franco

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

44The township’s assistant fire chief said he knew from an early age that he wanted a career in safety enforcement, something he credits to his father, Austintown Fire Chief Andy Frost Jr.

“It’s a part of my life. I spent every Saturday morning at the station with my dad,” Frost III said. “It’s just kind of what I was supposed to do.”

He joined the department in 1986, 20 years after his father joined. The pair have been working alongside each other as chief and assistant chief since 2006.

Frost Jr. said he loves working closely with his son, and he makes sure to let everyone know the position was earned, not given.

“When Andy was promoted, I was a very proud dad, but he didn’t get the promotion just because he was the chief’s son,” he said. “Through testing and interviews, he was by far the best person for the job.”

The chief said the department has benefited during his son’s three years as assistant chief.

“He’s obtained more than $1 million in grant money for the department over the last year,” he said. “I don’t think any other department or anyone else in the township has ever done that. He’s our master grant writer.”

Capt. Dan Martin said Frost III’s promotion was an important move for the department.

“It was a fantastic move. They are on the same line and the same train of thought,” he said. “Chief’s given him an awful lot of responsibility, and he’s taken it well and done an outstanding job in that position.”

Frost III, who remains modest about his accomplishments as assistant chief, said he learned what he knows from working with his father every day.

“Working with my dad is great. I couldn’t ask for anything more,” Frost III said. “ I learned how to be a chief, how to handle people and do a great job at it. How we handle emergency situations is great in this department, and that comes from him.”

Martin said he’s worked with the chief for more than 30 years and has seen how the pair interact.

“They gel really well,” he said. “I think being a father-and-son relationship they know each other well, and they kind of understand where the other is coming from most of the time.”

Martin said sometimes family members working together may cause tension, but that’s not the case for the Frosts.

“Despite being father and son, they know the business side, too,” he said. “When push comes to shove, they make the best decision for the department. A lot of people look down on father/son relationships in the work place, but I think it works well here.”

Frost Jr. said it came as no surprise when Frost III said he wanted to be a firefighter, but he’s still a father who hates seeing his son in trouble.

“I was happy to see him following along in my footsteps, but it’s a tough job,” Frost Jr. said. “I’ve seen him hurt before and taken to the hospital. That’s not easy for a father to do.”

Though Frost Jr. said he worries as any other father would, he trusts his son’s ability.

Both men recalled an instance at the scene of a building cave-in in 2006 where neither was sure the other was OK. Two men were seriously injured when a floor inside a warehouse on Hendricks Road collapsed, and 15 firefighters narrowly escaped a second collapse. A cable snapped on a crane that was carrying a load of steel.

“When we had the building collapse on Hendricks Road, we weren’t sure if each other was safe or not,” Frost III said. “We were each doing different jobs, and it was quite some time before we knew the other had made it out.”

Frost Jr. said that cave-in was one of the scarier moments in the 23 years he has worked with his son.

“We both turned around and started looking for each other,” he said. “I thought he was dead, and I was so happy when I saw him.”

Both men, who have worked their entire careers in Austintown, agreed that in their time together they’ve seen many departmental changes.

Frost III said when he was first hired the department had three stations. Now the department operates two full-time and two part-time stations.

Frost Jr. said Austintown employs 17 full-time and 32 part-time firefighters.

“We’ve watched the department change over the years. We went from a volunteer/part-time department to a career/part-time department,” Frost Jr. said. “Until 1992, none of the stations were manned.”

He said he’s seen changes in himself as well.

“From Andy, I’ve learned to calm down. I have a tendency to fly off,” Frost Jr. said.

“I’ve learned a lot from his education that I never had. It’s helped me expand the department.”

The chief said the department is in good shape right now, and he feels fortunate to not have to lay off any workers.

“Our budget isn’t nearly as large as other departments, but we keep it a pretty tight ship,” Frost Jr. said. “With the economy the way it is, if we can keep things status quo, we’re thrilled. Right now we’re trying to keep our head above water.

“Our long-term goal is to always improve.”

efranco@vindy.com