‘I have no regrets,’ he says.
Eatonton Fire Chief Eugene Hubert retires this week after serving 45 years in emergency services for the city of Eatonton. His final day is Aug. 2.
“Chief Hubert has been a good chief for the City of Eatonton,” Mayor John Reid said. “He brought a lot of needed improvements to the fire department and brightened the lives of children through Fireman Santa. We will surely miss him.”
Hubert first began as a firefighter with what was then Eatonton-Putnam Fire Department, for which he credited former fire chiefs Arthur Linch, Bill Harper, Orvil Van Landingham, and Wren Marshall for getting him started and training him.
Hubert said he first began working on the rescue squad, the ambulance service, and then the fire department. Traveling down memory lane, he spoke with fondness as he recalled those early days as a volunteer firefighter.
He remembered all the firemen driving their own vehicles to the fire station when the bell rang, their exchange of jabs at who was the slowest or fastest driver, and what it felt like to be hanging onto the back of the fire truck, approaching a fire.
With sadness as he recalled two of the hardest calls he ever responded to – one was a rescue call for his own father who was having a heart attack, and the other was when he was fire chief and the call came in that then-Assistant Fire Chief Andy Harris had been killed in a vehicle accident.
“We were close, we were like brothers, and I still miss him every day,” Hubert said. “We were supposed to retire together,” he added, his voice breaking with emotion.
When Hubert was promoted to fire chief in September 2015, the department had six full-time firefighters. Later, cutbacks were made and now the chief is the only full-time employee. The other 20 are part-time or volunteer firefighters.
“I’ve tried to run the fire department as efficiently as possible and not put any burden on the taxpayers while making sure we have the modern equipment and modern training we need to fight fires,” Hubert said.
Not only has the force been outfitted with all new turnout gear and breathing apparatus, but the department’s fleet includes two new E-ONE pumper trucks, a 65-foot ladder truck, and a rescue truck, all funded with Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.
“I’d like to thank the city council members, Mayor John Reid, and City Administrator Gary Sanders for the way they’ve been very understanding and have supported the fire department and worked with me,” he said.
Noting that the firefighters all train twice monthly, Hubert added, “I’d take this fire department and stand it up against any in the whole U.S. They train very hard, and they are committed to the city.”
Hubert said the fire department handles about 60 calls each month. In addition to fires, they work as first responders and handle medical assistance and rescue calls. They also help clear downed trees after storms, direct or divert traffic at wreck scenes, “or anything else there’s a need for,” he explained.
Hubert said the 24-hour on and 48 hours off shifts are not easy.
“Twenty-four hours is three days’ work of the average person, but it’s all at once,” he said. “And when you work Friday, you don’t get off until Saturday morning, so it’s never a full weekend off. A lot of firefighters’ wives and girlfriends sacrifice a lot for this fire department.”
Now that he’s retiring, Hubert said he plans on “enjoying life.” He plans to spend more time with his three grandchildren and put some miles on his new camper and a new motorcycle.
“My grandchildren – two girls and one boy, and I will spoil them rotten,” he grinned. “And I will keep working in my auto shop, and down the road, I may consider some politics.”
And he will continue to be active in the community that has reciprocated all of his service time.
“The citizens of the city have been so outstanding to the fire department in donating to the Fireman Santa and Muscular Dystrophy boot drives. They turned out to be 10 times what I thought they’d ever be,” he said. “People who don’t even know us tell us they appreciate us and thank us for what we do. And I thank The Eatonton Messenger for all their stories about us, and the firemen for the jobs they’ve done over the years and hard work and commitment. I’ve got no regrets, none at all."