Sitting in his new office at Fire Station 4 on Airline Road, Columbus Fire and Rescue Chief Martin Andrews recalled the challenges and delays the project wrought in the five years the new department headquarters took to build.
Ground broke in 2016 before the city had to redesign parts of the station to cut costs. The firefighters themselves help build it. In the end, the station that opened last year accommodated more fire trucks, all administrative offices, individual sleeping quarters for firefighters and a fitness center.
“I’m proud of this fire station,” Andrews said. “This fire station was built like no other. I got a lot of criticism over the building and how long it took but this fire station was truly built by the community of workers here. … Many times when you build a station, it’s a lock-and-key job where (the construction workers) do everything and you just open the door. This one was not built like that. We took pride, and we built this one ourselves, piece by piece.”
After 35 years working for CFR, including the last eight as chief, Andrews won’t be reporting to the new fire station much longer. He announced last week he plans to hang up his coat and helmet on April 18.
Andrews joined CFR in 1987 with the goal of one day becoming chief. He was appointed to the post in May 2014, maintaining CFR’s status as one of the only fire departments in the state accredited by the Center for Public Safety and Excellence.
In his 35 years of service, Andrews has seen many changes from equipment to trucks to protocol. The biggest change he has seen is modern equipment becoming more easily operated.
“Back in ‘87, we had to actually use muscle, but now things are more user-friendly,” he said. “You don’t have to try to muscle. We have different technology such as thermal imaging, better firefighter equipment, and better safety measures.”
CFR Assistant Chief Duane Hughes has served with Andrews since 1995 and said the chief helped him get started in the department. Hughes said Andrews has been driven by the responsibility of community service, and he will be missed at CFR.
“I think the first thing that anyone will tell you about Martin Andrews is that he is a servant. Even people that have butted heads with him in the past will tell you he does what is in the best interest of the community,” Hughes said. “We all built (Fire) Station 4 because the department came out to volunteer their time for Chief Andrews. He will be missed because we are a family, but we’ll still blow the horn when we go by his house.”
Hughes has many memories with Andrews in his over 20 years with the department, but one of his favorite memories happened in Las Vegas while they were there for training.
“We were at a training event in Las Vegas, and I didn’t know it, and apparently he didn’t know it, but Chief Andrews is allergic to shellfish. He had an allergic reaction where his eyes were just about swollen shut,” Hughes said. “He called me to his room, then we went to the front desk and asked if they had any Benadryl. They said, ‘No, but there’s a store down the corner.’ This was about 11 o’clock at night. … So here I am with Chief Andrews, holding his hand, and it didn’t hit us what it really looked like until we got to the store. There were smiles and maybe a couple of jeers to see both of us walking hand-in-hand down the Vegas strip trying to find Benadryl. It was pretty funny.”
Robert Smith, the mayor who recommended Andrews for chief in 2014, said Andrews has always been driven to make the department, and by extension the community, better. Smith called Andrews an energetic people-person who got along well with the mayor and city council members.
“Fire Chief Andrews is a great leader. He has earned the respect of his people (within the department),” Smith said. “He is great at managing and supervising as well as establishing and maintaining discipline and efficiency throughout the department.”
Current Mayor Keith Gaskin has only been in office for eight months, but he has been a longtime resident of Columbus and recognizes Andrews’ love and passion for the city, its citizens, and the fire department. Gaskin always looked forward to meetings with Andrews because he was prepared and was a “top-notch professional.”
“Chief Andrews is someone who is an advocate for others and not himself,” Gaskin said. “He sees the employees at the fire department as his family, and in families there are disagreements and you don’t always see eye to eye, but he never lost sight of the mission. I believe that everything he has done and was trying to do was what was best for the fire department, for what was best for the citizens of Columbus.”
After Andrews’ departure, Gaskin said an interim will lead CFR until a new permanent chief is hired.
Leaving the department after such an eventful career is bittersweet for Andrews, but he said he is ready for what lies ahead, which includes spending more time with family.
“There comes a time in a person’s life and career where it’s time to take that other step into that other life. I want (citizens of Columbus) to know that I have loved serving them, and I will always be a servant of the community regardless of if I’m here or not,” Andrews said. “I’ve loved the family atmosphere, and to leave a career like this is very hard. This is the only place I ever wanted to be fire chief and to serve the community in this capacity has been a great honor.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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