REMEMBERING DEWEY ROBINSON – The heritage of the fire service was boiled deep into his bloodline

By Bill Dungey

As far as firefighters go, I’m very young to the service If I were describing my tenure the way my son describes his age, I might say I’ve been a firefighter with the County of Brant for two-and-ahalf years to make myself sound a little older. With utmost sincerity and at calls where many things are evolving at once, I look up to senior firefighters for words and action.

Durward “Dewey” Robinson was one such firefighter for many junior members through his 45 years of service with Paris Station. It would seem, after a conversation with his son, Mark Robinson, a current captain at the same station, that the heritage of the fire service was boiled deep into his bloodline

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I would learn that Dewey’s remarkable history with the department was preceded by two generations of firefighters Mark noted that he pretty much grew up with the fire service as a permanent fixture in his life, the coarse tone of his dad’s pager a trademark song. Mark told me about time spent in the cabs of the trucks imagining what it might be like to one day follow the family heritage and join the fire service himself.

Mark was joined by Bruce Barrett, the current District Chief of the Paris fire station for our talk We met at the end of a practice night, where a number of firefighters from Paris came to our station to help us train on shore-based rescue.

I get that Dewey would have slotted into that type of night pretty naturally. He was described to me as the type of person that wanted the department to be better. Better equipped to handle the calls Better, folded together with a common goal

See, I didn’t know Deputy District Chief Robinson the way some others in our hall did. I simply wasn’t around long enough to have bumped into him at a call or around our station for shared practice nights.

Still, through conversation and reflection, it would seem that if I’ve ever known a good man, I’ve known men like Dewey.

DC Barrett told me about Dewey’s word. He told me that his compassion and leadership was echoed through not only the advice he offered but by his actions. Overwhelmingly, I took Dewey’s legacy to be one rooted in steady, well-earned progress Displayed easily by his decades of service with the county, Mark and Bruce recounted a number of stories that cement Durward Robinson into the heritage of our department.

The fire service tends to attract a certain kind of person. As far as I can muster, that’s somebody who can tell you what you need to know and has the experience to back every inch of it up That was Deputy District Chief Robinson

Dewey was beloved husband to Cindy (Nee Graham); loved dad to

Mark (Lynda) and Paul (Lindsey); Cherished grandpa to Haley, Josh, Colten, and Adelyn. Dewey will be sadly missed by his Firefighter Family and Friends and neighbours of “Victoria St Hood” Predeceased by his parents Jack and Hazel Robinson Dewey was a lifelong resident of Paris and served with the Paris Fire Department (Station) for 45 years. Donations, in his memory, to Stedman Hospice or the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 29 would be appreciated.

Bill Dungey is a volunteer firefighter in Brant, Ontario, Canada. He is focused on fitness, mindset development and finding training opportunities to help the fire service make things better.