Rick Gill of McDonough said, during his career, he worked to ensure that Atlanta firefighters were equipped to do their jobs.

Now, he wants to give someone else that same opportunity.

“I enjoyed it, but when it’s time to go, it’s time to leave, said Gill, 53. “The job was a blessing to me. When it was time to go, I wanted to bless somebody else with a job.”

Gill retired from the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department September 29, after 30 years of service as an equipment maintenance safety supervisor.

“The City of Atlanta actually credited me with 31 years, because I had one year and three months of sick leave that I never used,” he said.

Gill was born in Wuerzburg, Germany, as part of a military family who settled in the Atlanta area. He graduated from Forest Park High School and DeKalb Technical School.

Gill worked as an electrician before being hired as an electrical supervisor for building maintenance at the City of Atlanta Fire Rescue.

“I’ve always liked working with my hands,” said Gill. “I did not put out fires, but made sure they had all the proper tools and equipment to put out the fires. I was in charge of maintenance for all 35 fire stations, overseeing the electrical work done by contractors.

“I was responsible for plumbing, electrical, HVAC, fire apparatus, tools and equipment for all 35 fire stations in the City of Atlanta,” he continued. “I was on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I would have to respond to accidents, station emergencies, power failures, plumbing issues and electrical issues. They’d call me in the wee hours of the morning and I’d show up.”

For his efforts, Gill was named the department’s Employee of the Year, two years straight.

“In my 30 years on the job, I’ve never been late for work,” he said. “My father always told me, ‘Always be on time.’ I’m always an hour early. I haven’t taken a sick day in 11 years. Even when I wasn’t feeling good, I still came in and did what needed to be done.”

Gill said he enjoyed seeing firefighters carry out their duties on a daily basis.

“I’ve worked with some outstanding people,” he said. They were just very helpful with my job. In areas I wasn’t familiar with, they’d step in and guide me.”

In 2010, a bad economy and furlough days caused Gill to take time off without pay. However, it was during those times that he vowed to continue doing his job.

“I still went in without pay, because I knew the guys needed my services,” said Gill. “I really loved my job.”

Gill earned three Challenge Coins for outstanding performance from Atlanta fire chiefs, most recently in September. Along the way, he said, co-workers took notice of his upbeat demeanor.

“They would ask me, ‘Why are you smiling?’” said Gill. “I said, ‘I’m happy to be here.’ If they’d break something, they knew they could call me and I would show up and take care of it.”

In 2015, Gill became a certified child-car-seat specialist, volunteering on weekends to inspect vehicles to make sure their car seats were installed correctly. He said he wanted his job to help him protect kids.

“Kids are our future,” said Gill. “I wanted to make sure they were strapped into their car seats properly.”

Gill said in approximately 90 percent of inspections, car seats were not installed properly. Such conditions, he said, put children at risk of injury.

They’d put the kid in the seat, but the seat was not strapped down,” he said. “What good is that?”

Gill and his wife April have one daughter, Aaliyah Gill, 20. Upon his retirement, Gill was recognized for his contributions to Atlanta. He received a Proclamation from Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and the Atlanta City Council.

Gill said aside from fishing with his father, he doesn’t have any plans for life after retirement.
“Every day is Saturday when I wake up,” he said.