Fire chief retires after 33 years of service

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Warner Robins Fire Chief Ross Moulton is hanging up his helmet after 33 years of working for the fire department.

On Friday, friends, family and the fire department gathered to celebrate and honor Moulton, but his time with the department started decades ago.

Surprisingly, he almost didn’t have the chance at first. Out of 11 open slots, he was 12th in line for hiring. With the feeling firefighting was where he was meant to be, he turned to the divine.

“I started praying and asking God for a second chance, because I just really felt like this is where I was supposed to be. Just a couple of days later, I got a call saying ‘Hey, we’re offering you a job,’” Moulton said. “It was pretty amazing to me that God opened the door.”

Overcoming a hurdle from the start, Moulton jumped in, reflecting on his first call.

“Everybody remembers their first fire. So that was a pretty big highlight, because it was an apartment building and it was quite a significant fire. And we got in there and it was just amazing, my leadership at the time when I was just a young firefighter, how effective they were at fighting fire, their tactics and strategies. Basically, we put this huge apartment out in, like, 10 minutes. I was just amazed at what we can do and the feelings that you get after that of being able to help people. It’s fulfilling,” Moulton said.

Moulton worked his way up through the ranks, becoming chief in 2016 with a multitude of memories under his belt. He had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C., Florida and New York City, shortly after 9/11. While there, the fire department in Queens treated him like one of its own.

Back home, Moulton and station leadership were instrumental in bringing the fire department a state-of-the-art training facility, better staffing for the station, a higher ISO rating and a much-needed raise to personnel.

“I got to present to the firefighters the adjustment. Seeing their faces and what that meant to them and their family, that was tremendous memory,” Moulton said.

Moulton said each chief had a different focus; for him, it was the people working alongside.

“My focus was on building relationships with my people, taking care of my people, more focused on the individuals who work here, to develop them, giving them what they need, trying to develop a culture that I care about them, and not just say it, but show it,” Moulton said.

Many of those people became proud of their work and the fire department, Moulton included. That’s why he believes he stuck with it.

“I think that goes back to pride in your department, tradition, the legacy we have and basically the camaraderie we have with our team. We really don’t want to go anywhere else. We want to stay where we start, stay with our team, support that team. I think most everybody that works at Warner Robins Fire has that mentality: that they want to stay here because it’s a great fire department. It’s got a great legacy,” Moulton said.

At the typical age for retirement in the fire service, Moulton is looking forward to taking a much-needed break. He is confident his successor will carry on the legacy, advising his choice to remember their training.

“I feel like I’ve fulfilled my mission in that 33 years, reached that age. Hopefully, I’ve demonstrated my character while I’ve been here, to make this place better and make the community safer and supported people along the way and built relationships along the way,” Moulton said.

The relationships made taught Moulton a great deal of knowledge on multiple fronts.

“You learn so much here from different people: you might learn life skills from them; you might learn how to be compassionate to somebody through them; you might learn a technical skill from them; you might learn how to get closer to God through them,” Moulton said. “Every person really, if you allow it, can really impact your life and can make you the man you are, really. Like me, I’m retiring, but I’ve learned so much from so many people. I’ve had so much inspiration from people in the fire service.”

The people inspire him, and he is hopeful that the fire department can continue to be a shining light, both now and in the future. As for Moulton, he is looking forward to more time with his family, and is seeking guidance from God on his next steps.

“We feel like we were put here to serve. And that’s an example of what Christ did. We want to be humble and serve — at least me; I’ll speak for myself — like He did. It’s been very fulfilling to be able to do that,” Moulton said. “We serve to the best of our ability, even to the point where we’re willing to lay down our lives for our community if need be. It’s a tremendous sacrifice for your community. But we love our community. We love serving. I appreciated the opportunity to do that.”

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