Cortland’s new fire chief takes helm

CORTLAND -- While Todd Price began his duties as fire chief on Friday, the Cortland Fire Department is quite familiar to him as he has worked there as a captain and paramedic since 1999.

His fire career began in 1991 when he was a student at Bristol High School and the fire department was across the street.

"I started as a volunteer in Bristol and did that through high school until I graduated in 1993. I knew I wanted to go to college, so I went to the University of Toledo, where I earned a nursing degree. During those four years, I stayed a volunteer firefighter for Bristol,'' Price said.

After college graduation in 1997, Price joined the Bristol Fire Department as a part-time firefighter/ paramedic and worked part-time for the Champion Fire Department while working as a full-time emergency room nurse for four years.

He said he had always had an interest in firefighting as his uncle, Roger French, was a longtime fire chief, and his uncle Raymond French also was a firefighter. They were his mother's brothers.

"As a boy I always remembered seeing the fire trucks drive by when there was a fire or training. I would walk with my dad to the fire station to see them and talk to my uncles. When I was 16, I asked my Uncle Roger to join the department as a volunteer junior fireman. There was a nice group of younger staff there," he said.

He soon went with the fire crews to grass fires and house fires.

"I really loved it,'' Price said, noting he received his first fire card in 1993.

CREDITS PARENTS

He said he always credited his parents, who were teachers, with stressing the importance of education.

Price said while working as an ER nurse, he also worked as a mobile intensive care nurse for St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital.

"When I did get hired at Bristol full time, I also stayed with St. Elizabeth and worked one day as a mobile intensive care nurse and transported the critical patients to the hospital or from the hospital to Cleveland Clinic. Wherever the patients needed to go, I was there to take them'' Price said.

He became a fire captain in 2013 under fire Chief David Rea.

He said after the coronavirus pandemic, he left the nursing job and focused on firefighting and became the Johnston Township emergency medical service administrator in 2021.

"Every strategic move of mine has been to prepare for the next role. I took more schooling to become a fire captain. Chief Rea encouraged me to go to the National Fire Academy to take a master's level program for executive fire officers. That helped build my confidence and knowledge to take on a new role,'' Price said.

He said he still has his nursing license, but after taking on the Johnston Township role, that and working at Cortland is his focus.

"I think my biggest challenge and my biggest focus as chief will be staffing at the department and drawing in younger people. The department has a wonderful group that has come in the past few years," Price said.

He said the fire training programs at Trumbull Career &Technical Center and Howland Fire Center are training future firefighters at the high school level and they are coming on board already having their certifications.

"We show them our department has a small town feeling, where they can grow and we can help teach them. That will be my biggest focus as chief. If we can have them here, we can help them grow and if we can get them to stay, we can make it a long-term career for them here," Price said.

FINDING STAFF

He said in the past five years, fire departments began struggling to find new staff.

"It has been a rollercoaster with ups and downs for many departments. The high school program at TCTC has really helped train young people to get all their skills and be prepared to work," Price said.

He said it is hard to express the challenges fire departments face with staffing.

"My priority is to appreciate the people we have and to make sure we take care of those who are here serving our community. I also want them to help find others to come work in Cortland. We have a good staff here that really shines in the community," Price said.

The Cortland Fire Department provides assistance to Johnston, Mecca and Fowler, who can't get volunteers. Even though they are part-time departments, they rely on Cortland for assistance.

"I love the excitement of this career and why I have been in this for 35 years. I like interacting with the public even when it may be in their worst moments. My goal has always been to get a smile out of them by reassuring them things will be okay and provide some positive to the situation," Price said.

He said that is one skill he is teaching his staff -- to reassure those who are facing a difficult situation such as a family member having a medical emergency

Price said he wishes Rea much success in his retirement.

"Chief Rea was my captain when I was hired. He is great to work for, especially when he was promoted to chief. He was a driving factor for me furthering my education and was always willing to help train me," Price said.

When he has free time, Price said he spends time with his wife, Stacy, and children.

"My daughter Reagan is a freshman at Findlay and plays volleyball and my son Gavin will be a senior this year at Lakeview and plays football. My family is my greatest personal achievement," he said.

Price said in addition to his family, graduating from college with honors ranks as a top personal achievement.

Price is scheduled to be sworn in at the Aug. 3 Cortland council meeting.