Greenwich fire lieutenant wraps up 50-year career with GFD

First Selectman Fred Camillo compared the departing fire lieutenant to a sports hero who brought victory to their team year after year. “I don’t think your record is going to be broken,” Camillo said at brief retirement ceremony held Friday morning at fire headquarters.

Gordiski, 73, signed up as a professional firefighter in Greenwich in 1972. Since then, he has worked at all six fire stations in town and responded to hundreds of fires and emergencies. He had just arrived from a call not long before the ceremony began to mark his retirement.

“I really enjoyed working here,” the fire lieutenant said. And though he was still processing the milestone, Gordiski said he felt a sense of pride and accomplishment. For his retirement agenda, he said he hopes to take some trips to the Caribbean in the near future, among other travel destinations.

His son, Matthew, a Greenwich firefighter, and his wife, Ginny, attended the ceremony, as did his brother, Francis.

“He’s my hero,” said Francis Gordiski, who has served in the Port Chester, N.Y., volunteer fire department for over 50 years. “I’m really proud of him.”

Pat Gordiski also served in the first department in Port Chester as a volunteer before becoming a career firefighter in Greenwich. He is also an Air Force veteran.

When he first started, Gordiski recalled, he wore little more than coat made of leather and rubber as a protection against the fires he battled. He said he drove a truck with manual transmission.

The job has become much more advanced through technology and training, Gordiski said, but he has always been ready to take on new challenges. “I’ve always loved doing it,” he said.

Gordiski passed an annual physical every year, and his doctors said he could continue working, but he said the 50-year mark was a good time to retire.

Fire Chief Joseph McHugh said the lieutenant’s departmental nickname of “Zinger” captures his sense of enthusiasm and energy.

“Fifty years is quite and accomplishment,” McHugh said. “We’re thankful for his service, and we’re going to miss him.”