Retiring deputy chief leaves big boots to fill

Longboat Key Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Skip Falcone sums up his feelings about his upcoming retirement in a single word: “melancholy.”

Falcone, who will retire March 2, thinks of firefighting as a brotherhood, one that he’s been part of for more than 30 years and one that requires its members to do things that go against common sense — such as run toward a burning building or bleeding person. For 19 of those years, he’s been part of Longboat Key Fire Rescue, living and working 24 hours every third day alongside his fellow Longboat Key firefighters.

“I’m most proud of the people I work with out here — their dedication and their loyalty, not just to me, but to the organization,” Falcone said.

“He’ll be a tough one to replace,” Longboat Key Fire Rescue Chief Paul Dezzi said. “We’ve got some big boots to fill.”

Falcone never planned to become a firefighter. He and his wife, Karen, moved in 1980 to Florida, where both became teachers. Falcone was teaching high-school health when a friend suggested that he become a firefighter. He spent 12 years as a Bradenton firefighter before joining the Longboat Key department in February 1993.

According to Deputy Chief Matt Altman, who has worked with Falcone for 17 years, Falcone brought a wealth of experience from Bradenton and has trained many of Longboat Key’s firefighter/paramedics and lieutenants. Altman said that although he and Falcone work opposite shifts, he has always been able to count on him and recalled a major fire that occurred three years ago. Falcone wasn’t working that day, but Altman called him and he was on scene in minutes.

Dezzi said that Falcone’s background as a teacher shows in his work.

“If he sees that he can show someone how to do something better, that’s what he does,” Dezzi said. “He’ll tell you he’s a natural educator. I think former chiefs saw that in him.”