By EVE SULLIVAN
The (Stamford) Advocate
April 27, 2000

Stamford Fire Chief Anthony Milone said yesterday he will retire in July, ending a 41-year career.

The 62-year-old announced he will move to Arizona with his wife to "start a new adventure."

Milone's adventures began in Stamford when he joined the Glenbrook Fire Co. in 1959. Working as a carpenter at the time, he just wanted to play on the baseball team, he said.

"I joined, I played baseball and I fell in love with firefighting," Milone said.

In 1967, he was hired by the Stamford Fire Department and spent the next 31 years climbing ladders - and the ranks. He was appointed fire chief in March 1998.

"In 33 years, you see a lot of change," Milone said.

When he first started downtown, firefighters didn't have self-contained breathing apparatuses, Milone said. Now they have thermal-imaging cameras that let them see through smoke.

Milone, a Stamford native, was in command when the first two women recently passed the fire test.

"That was a breakthrough for this department," he said.

Mayor Dannel Malloy said the fire department fought some major fires under Milone's direction, including blazes in the South End and the 1998 New Year's Eve fire at the old Burdick School.

"He has done an unbelievable job while he served me as chief," Malloy said.

Milone has reached new levels of cooperation with the volunteers and has a more inclusive relationship with departments such as Belltown and Turn of River, the mayor said.

"I couldn't be more proud of him," Malloy said. "I'm just real happy with what he's been able to accomplish as chief. I'm sorry to see him go."

Milone takes little credit for the department's success, saying the members make it strong.

Malloy said the city will hire a new chief from the ranks of the Stamford Fire and Rescue Department. He said officials will not advertise outside.

According to the city Charter, the mayor appoints a fire chief for a five-year term, with Board of Representatives approval.

The Fire Commission will send out a bulletin on the opening to all assistant and deputy chiefs

The interested candidates will send resumes to the commission. The commissioners will interview the candidates and send a summary to John Byrne, director of the city's Office of Safety, Health and Welfare.

Byrne will interview the candidates and send a summary to the mayor, who will make the choice. The mayor will a draft contract and letter of appointment to the Board of Representatives for final approval.

Milone said his two assistant chiefs, Robert McGrath and Peter Brown, and the department's four deputy chiefs are the most likely candidates.

Malloy said he hopes to make a selection within 60 days, giving the new chief time to get settled before Milone's departure.

Among his achievements, Milone established the city's first on-site training facility for firefighters and drafted a code of conduct.

Milone said he is proud of the community programs the department has started, such as CPR for restaurant employees, a class for senior citizens about carbon monoxide and a lecture on drunken driving for high school students.

"I'm interested in the safety of every firefighter and citizen in the community," Milone said.

One of Milone's three sons lives in Arizona, as does his wife's relatives. Another son, Anthony Milone Jr., is a fire captain in Stamford, and the third works for the Board of Education in New Canaan.

Milone said he has mixed feelings about leaving the department.

"This is really supposed to be a happy time and joyous. But there is some emotion going on," he said. "I'm leaving friends and I'm leaving family."