By Sarah Kuper
Robert Ezekiel, known as “Chief Zeke,” has been the fire chief in Mountain Brook for 22 years. Now, he said, it is time to say, “Job done. Mission accomplished.”
Chief Zeke will be retiring at the end of the month from the job he said came as close to a dream job as could be had. He came to Mountain Brook after working with the Birmingham Fire Department for 20 years.
“The mayor, city manager, council – they don’t get paid but they are dedicated. It is hard not to work hard for them.”
Chief Zeke said he is proud of the way the Mountain Brook city government is responsible and respectful of citizens.
“This city is run as close to a private sector business as can be. We run cost/benefits and we hold each other accountable.
He added that the city’s workforce makes its success.
“We want to attract and retain quality people. That’s why we don’t hire employees; we hire partners. There is a big difference between the two. It makes you feel like you’re not by yourself,” he said.
Chief Zeke said if he looks back at his career, he is most proud of the department’s and the city’s dedication to customer service.
“Our vision is wide and not narrow. Our partners who work here see the big picture and we don’t think, ‘We don’t do that.'”
A recent example would be when fire officials helped a 95-year-old man finish raking his leaves after he had a health episode.
“He was fretting over his leaves being raked, so while one of our sergeants filled out the incident report, other responders finished cleaning up his yard. Nobody asked them to do that.”
Chief Zeke said he felt his job was to cast a vision for the future of the department, sell it to the council and influence the organization to take the journey.
He said he feels he has seen the department fulfill the vision he had.
“I think you know when it is time. I’ve seen people stay too long and I don’t want to do that,” Chief Zeke said. “We have great leadership in this city and I feel comfortable.”
The chief’s last full day at the department will be Feb. 29 – leap day. He said he will be working until the last minute.
“I have no intention of being a lame duck,” he said.
After his last day, Chief Zeke will be exploring opportunities to teach leadership classes.
A reception retirement party will be held February 25th, at 2 p.m. in “Canterbury Hall” at Canterbury United Methodist Church. Community members are invited to attend.
