Assemblywoman Jenne honors St. Lawrence County Firefighter of the Year

Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne presented Robert E. Kerr with a citation from the New York State Assembly honoring him for his selection as the 2016 St. Lawrence County Firefighter of the Year.

Mr. Kerr was honored Saturday night at the St. Lawrence County Fire Chiefs Association's annual Firefighter of the Year banquet hosted by the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department.

Assemblywoman Jenne praised Mr. Kerr for his continued work with the fire service following his retirement from Fort Drum.

"You are the true embodiment of a chief. Your dedication to training is commendable, and you have earned the respect of your fellow firefighters over your more than three decades of service. You are a true professional and your efforts to improve our fire service is known far beyond this community. You lead by example and have done so much to ensure training and safety is in the forefront of our departments' minds. This award is more than well deserved," she said.

Mr. Kerr joined the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department on Feb. 2, 1980 with the vision of making firefighter safety the department’s number one priority.

“Over the past 37 years, Bob has not only accomplished his goals for the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department, but has worked to instill the same focus on firefighter safety throughout St. Lawrence County,” his nomination letter read.

Mr. Kerr has spent much of his volunteer career developing and teaching a radio communications class throughout the county in hope of improving fire ground operations and safety. He also encourages future department leaders to train, train, and train; become better officers and to develop improved interpersonal skills.

He served with the Fort Drum Fire Department from 1982-2006, where he rose through the ranks and was named chief in 1996. He retired in September 2006.

He currently serves the St. Lawrence County Office of Emergency Services as deputy coordinator for training. He serves as vice chairman of the St. Lawrence County Fire Training Center Inc., an entity developed and incorporated by the St. Lawrence County Fire Chiefs Association.

Mr. Kerr also serves as the co-chair of the committee that raised funds to construct the new burn building at the training center sight in West Potsdam.

He currently represents St. Lawrence County on the Garrett Loomis Foundation, a foundation that supports firefighter training through seminars as well as grant funding to fire departments in the tri-county area.

Mr. Kerr is a life member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and was awarded as Military Sector Fire Chief of the Year in 2005. He is also an active member of the New York State Association of Fire Chiefs.

He served as Norfolk's fire chief from 1984 to 1987. He was awarded Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department Firefighter of the Year Award in 1987 and again in 2010.

He was first elected to the Norfolk Board of Fire Commissioners in 2007 and was re-elected in 2012. He has served the board as chairman since 2016. During his time on the board, he has spearheaded several successful Assistance to Firefighter Grant applications and upgrades to equipment. Most recently Kerr chaired a committee that has purchased new 2017 E-One Custom engine.

Mr. Kerr married his wife Lee in May 1976. Together they have three daughters, Kristie (Kerr) Perretta of Norwood, Lynn (Kerr) Wright of Glens Falls and Kathi Kerr of Norfolk. The couple enjoy spending time with their five grandchildren and their dachshund Jake. In his spare time, Mr. Kerr enjoys refurbishing antique fire extinquishers and transforming them into lamps.

IN THE PHOTOS:

TOP PHOTO:

Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne was in Norfolk Saturday night to present Bob Kerr of the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department with a citation from the New York State Assembly honoring him for his selection as the St. Lawrence County Firefighter of the Year.

BOTTOM PHOTO:

Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne addresses the crowd at a dinner at the Norfolk fire station Saturday night honoring Bob Kerr on his selection as the St. Lawrence County Firefighter of the Year.