Rob Hussey works on emergency vehicles in Arizona’s Mojave Desert, in unairconditioned apparatus bays. Temperatures regularly range from the 90s to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the fire chief. Yet these broiler-like conditions haven’t wilted Hussey’s dedication for keeping Fort Mojave Mesa Fire Department’s vehicles in peak running condition or his vision for the future of the fleet.

These are some chief reasons why Hussey was named In Service Online’s 2004 Emergency Vehicle Technician of the Year. On Aug. 12, Fire Chief Editor Janet Wilmoth presented the award, sponsored this year for the first time by In Service Online and the Apparatus Maintenance Section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, at the AMS preconference workshop at Fire-Rescue International in New Orleans.

Hussey is a fire mechanic and full-time firefighter for Fort Mojave Mesa, a fire district operating from three stations, each responding with one paramedic engine company and one paramedic ambulance transport. The department runs about 2,000 calls a year.

Hussey, 42, has 13 years of experience working on emergency vehicles. Fort Mojave Mesa Fire Chief Mike Eno recruited him after observing Hussey’s dedication during his visits as a mobile service technician for an E-One dealership in Phoenix. Before Hussey arrived, the department’s fleet was old and breaking down daily, according to Eno.

Since coming on board with the department in February 2002, Hussey has presented a status report to the department’s board of directors on fire apparatus, developed an apparatus committee with other union firefighters and presented a five-year apparatus replacement plan. He convinced the apparatus committee to buy an engine “off the shelf,” saying the department could save money by doing the necessary work on it in-house.

“He motivated many firefighters to take up special projects, and we now have a new 2003 E-One engine, fully equipped, for under $250,000,” wrote Eno. Hussey also helped the department locate a demonstration ambulance for $87,000.

Hussey was already certified as a Firefighter I and II and a Certified Emergency Vehicle Technician, Level 1 and Level II Fire Apparatus Technician, when he was hired. One test away from EVTCC certification as a Master of Fire Apparatus Technician, he is also a state-certified EMT and on the National Registry of EMTs.

“He now fills in daily when the paramedic students are out to school, driving the ambulances, treating the sick and the injured, operating fire apparatus in structure and wildland fires, then returning to his mechanical work,” said Eno.

Hussey is also a force for education and training in the department. He recently obtained state certification as a Certified Emergency Vehicle Operation Course Director, and he teaches driver-operator competency courses and pumper operations.

In return, riding with the firefighters on calls has given him a whole new perspective, said Hussey, after receiving his award: “I’ve gained a lot of respect by working with those guys. I’ll also pick up on something a lot sooner that could become a bigger problem on a truck.”