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Assistant fire chief to retire - to be Punta Gorda's chief

By BRADY DENNIS
Published February 9, 2005

TAMPA - After more than 30 years with Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, Assistant Chief Robert Hancock will retire from the department this week.

But his working days aren't over. On Monday, he'll report to work at his new job: Punta Gorda fire chief.

Hancock had committed to leaving by June under his department's deferred retirement program.

In the end, he decided, he wasn't quite ready to quit work.

"I kind of sat back and looked at it," he said. "When all this was done and over with, I was still going to be 52 years old."

He said he was looking for a new challenge and found it in the hurricane-ravaged coastal city in Charlotte County. As fire chief, he said, he'll be able to help rebuild the community and shape the future of its fire department, which has only three stations and 29 employees, compared with Hillsborough's 39 stations and 763 employees.

Hancock's new post will pay $75,000, significantly less than the $98,000 he made last year. But he expects to draw about $50,000 per year from his fire department pension, he said.

Hancock said he enjoys "anything on, under or around the water," so living near Charlotte Harbor and the Peace River will mark another bonus for a man who loves fishing, boating and scuba diving.

Still, leaving Hillsborough means leaving home.

Hancock was born at St. Joseph's Hospital. His family lives nearby. And he spent his adult life at the fire department, rising through the ranks.

"I've seen it grow from 18 people to where we are today," he said. "I have a lot of connections here. Those relationships run very deep."

Willard Beck, who retired last week as Punta Gorda's city manager, hired Hancock and said he is delighted at the choice.

"After 30 years' experience in fire service, I thought his leadership skills would be very good for the city," Beck said. "We've got a lot of work to do. I needed a good, strong chief."

The position had been open since the former chief, Bob Naylor, retired in October. In the interim, police Chief Chuck Rinehart had served as acting fire chief.

Hancock said he plans to rent a house until he sells his Odessa home. His wife Sally plans to retire and join him in Punta Gorda. The couple has two sons, ages 20 and 23.

While Hancock will now work a couple of hours south, he said part of his heart will remain with the department he gave so many years.

"No matter where I am," he said, "I'll always be a Hillsborough County firefighter."

[Last modified February 9, 2005, 00:43:19]