Chief Contini's legacy

PALMER — On Saturday, the Palmer Fire Department will honor the life and legacy of perhaps the most dedicated public servant in Palmer history, former Palmer Fire and Rescue Chief Daniel Contini, who died last month. Contini began working for the Palmer Fire Department in 1969 and worked for Palmer Fire and Rescue for nearly 40 years. The Palmer Fire station on Cobb Street is named after Contini, who left a legacy of service and dedication to education.

“That is what he was. I think the man was born to be a fire chief. He just loved the fire service, he loved protecting his community, he adored working with all our fire and ambulance people,” said Palmer Administrative Assistant Joan Patterson. “The fire service itself is his legacy. This fire service is built on the foundation that he started and everything that he started as a very small five man crew to the department it is now. So when Chief McNutt got it, when Chief Cameron got it, they got something that was started and developed in the beginning by Chief Contini, so the fire service itself is his legacy.”

Patterson was 19 years old when she was interviewed by Contini for a job with the city of Palmer, and worked with Contini in various roles as the fire department itself evolved over the course of nearly three decades.

On Saturday at 10:15 a.m., a last alarm service and bell ceremony for Chief Contini will begin a processional at Pioneer Peak Elementary. The route will move down the Palmer-Wasilla Highway and along the traditional parade route in downtown Palmer before stopping at the MTA Events Center for a ceremony.

“The honor is ours to be able to try to provide him with a going away that he deserves and that’s actually felt everywhere. We have Fire Department’s all over coming to participate to show their respects to him and his family,” said Palmer Fire and Rescue Chief Chad Cameron. “In my opinion I don’t think there has been or will be anybody that impacts Palmer Fire and Rescue or back in his day Palmer emergency services any bigger than Chief Contini.”

Former Chief Daniel Contini graduated high school in Pennsylvania and moved to Alaska in 1952 where his arranged job fell through so he began working at the Jonesville mine near Sutton. In 1969, Contini was hired on to the Fire Department while current Mayor Edna DeVries was the city treasurer. Contini oversaw the development of the Fire Department from a volunteer group of five men to a comprehensive volunteer fire department that exists today.

“He was very busy. I’m very proud of my dad because whenever he gave, he gave 100 % into a job whether it be a father, be a fire chief, be an educator. Those were three things, family community and his people his firemen his department, those were all huge things in his life,” said Contini’s oldest daughter Diane Hall.

Contini hired Joan Patterson over 40 years ago as the secretary for fire, ambulance, rescue, water, sewer, public works, airport, planning and zoning and the building department. While working alongside Contini, Patterson said that the annexation of Fishhook Fire and other nearby areas helped develop the greater Palmer fire service area.

“His impact is felt every day. His touch is everywhere, including my office. Just looking around I have some of his stuff here, I have lots of his documents,” said Cameron.

Contini not only served the city as an ambulance driver, fire chief, and numerous other ways, but ran for the school board in his early 20’s. Unsuccessful, Contini tried again later in life and was elected to the Mat-Su Borough School Board, dedicating his time away from the fire station to educating students. A Scholarship has been set up in Chief Contini’s name for college freshmen from Palmer High School.

“Most Octobers which is fire prevention month, it was hard to find him during the day because he’d be at one school or another. He’d be doing school bus safety, he’d be doing fire prevention, he’d be doing station tours at the station, he’d be at assemblies teaching health fairs. You name it whatever they did in October he would be there with our robots training kids,” said Patterson.

Elementary students in the early 1990’s and 2000’s were treated to the falsetto voice of Chief Contini as the animation behind bus safety robot “Buster” and fire safety robot “Katie,” named after Contini’s granddaughter.

“As a dad he was a great great teacher and he loved education and wanted the kids especially to be able to have that opportunity of a great education,” said Hall.

Chief Contini was also an exuberant fan of Disney, and Patterson said that it seemed as if his only vacation days were to take trips to Disneyland. Contini retired in 2008 after nearly 40 years with Palmer Fire and Rescue. While the processional is underway on Saturday morning, Palmer Fire and Rescue service will be off-line for the first time since it began in 1935, according to Chief Cameron. During that time, crews from Central Mat-Su Fire Department and Butte Volunteer Fire Department will handle any calls for service.