Fire Chief for 23 Years. 40+ years as member of the Farmington Fire Department. Capstone of Career: 1998 Maine Fire Chief of the Year - 1st Volunteer Chief to be so named. During Chief McCleery's leadership many innovations and changes occurred within the department and state as a result of his dedication to training and efficiency. He insisted on a well-trained force. Upon his retirement in 2000, he had 19 Fire Fighter II, 6 Fire Fighter I, 5 Certified Instructors I, 3 EMT, 1 EMT Intermediate and 1 Paramedic. Overview of Chief McCleery's career: 1974 Fire Department Secretary 1975 Asst. Chief of Administration and Finance 1976 VP Franklin County Firemen's Assn. 1977 Elected Chief 1978 Developed "live" fire training and major disaster training for regional fire fighters. 1979 Brought Captain No Burn or Learn Not to Burn to local schools and public sector. 1980 President of Franklin County Firemen's Assn. 1980 Established Mutual Aid program for local area towns with written agreements. 1980 Offered Fire Fighter I & II Training in Farmington for area fire fighters. 1980 Developed training on the use of SCBA (Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus), and his fire department was one of the first departments to acquire the Cascade refueling air system which was shared with neighboring towns. 1981 Organized the first Fire Attack School for the region which ran till 1988 when towns began providing their own. 1983 Member of State Training & Education Committee setting firefighter training in Maine. 1983 Hosted a Pilot Program to train local fire personnel in Instructor Level 1 Training to become certified fire instructors. 1984 Elected President of Maine Fire Chief's Assn. - 1st Volunteer Chief to be so named and served 13 years on the Board of Directors of State Fire Fighters Assn. 1984 Obtained the H.K. Porter Extrication Tool and developed training on its use. 1985 Hired first female fire fighter in the department who was EMT and Fire Fighter I certified. 1986 Developed training program for Draft Relay Pumping, CPR, Car Fire Suppression, Ground and Aerial Ladders, Job Safety, Class A & B Live Burns, and Fire Ground Survival. 1986 Member of the State Fire Marshal's Board for selecting candidates for fire investigations in state. 1991 Created a Hazardous Materials Team with participation from town, International Paper Company and Mutual Aid fire departments. 1995 Established regional Search and Rescue Unit for cold water rescue, swift water rescue, ice rescue, high and low angle rescue, orienteering rescue, snowmobile rescue and numerous other critical skills. 1990's Fire Department received numerous and consecutive Life Safety Achievement Awards from the Residential Fire Safety Institute for public safety, fire prevention and public education. 1997 Obtained the Hurst Jaws of Life for the department. 1998 Named Maine Fire Chief of the Year - 1st Volunteer Chief to be so named. 1977 to 2000 Member of the New England and International Associations of Fire Chiefs. 2000 Retired and Fire Department hired its 1st Full-Time Chief. 2002 Chief Robert L. McCleery passed away from mesothelioma. Chief McCleery's extraordinary leadership brought credit to his department, region, state and profession. He lead by example and dedicated endless hours to the enhancement and enrichment of fire fighter careers in his department and throughout the state. Chief McCleery was revered by his department and recognized as a leader by his peers. Chief McCleery passed away on July 22, 2002 from mesothelioma at the age of 80 years. In 2017 and 2018, his daughter was finally in a position to compile his notes, articles and pictures and published the book Chief McCleery had researched and written over the many years he was chief.
