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City honors Gerald Ricci for 50 years service as EVFD fireman
By PATRICK TIMOTHY MULLIKIN
Ely Times Reporter

Gerald Ricci laughs when asked if he’s ever retrieved a cat from a tree. “No,” he answers, shaking his ball-capped head. How about delivering babies? Another clipped “no.”
At 75, the Ely native admits his memory is a little fuzzy these days, but one event remains crystal clear in his mind: a house fire on Avenue D in East Ely. “There were six kids in there, and the babysitter,” he says, pausing. “We saved them all. If we’d had seven fatalities? Oh, boy.” Sitting in the break room at the Ely Fire Station on Great Basin Boulevard, Ricci (pronounced Rich-ee) reflects on his 50-year-long career as an Ely volunteer fireman, the department’s oldest active volunteer.

Time has flown, Ricci says. The then-25 year old Ely native joined the department in 1960 - when “I Like Ike” Eisenhower was still in office - at the urging of some buddies. “There were a bunch of guys in there, and they asked if I wanted to be a fireman, to volunteer.” The railroad employee did, and so did his brother. The two helped build the addition to the old fire hall on Mill Street back in the days when the department’s 1958 Ford truck was state-of-the-art. Today’s equipment leaves him speechless. Ricci says back in those days he was a hose man primarily. The hoses were 13/4 inch compared to today’s 6 inch. “I always got excited about getting in pump gear.” Back in the 1960s, before cell phones and pagers, he says, it was members of the ladies’ auxiliary - including his late wife -who often rounded up the volunteer firefighters. “When the ladies heard the fire horn, one lady would call another lady. It worked out good.” Pagers and cell phones, he admits, work far better. While many things have changed over the years, Ricci says the rift between city and county has been constant, one that goes back as far as he can remember. He stays clear of discussing city-county politics, though. “I’m not much of a politician. I get too excited. I’m an excitable man. Then I start cussin’ and get in trouble.”

In his five decades of volunteer service, Ricci has served under six fire chiefs and with dozens of volunteers. Of the current chief and crew, he says, “It’s a good outfit. A beautiful outfit actually. Everybody knows their onions, their P’s and Q’s.” Being the department’s oldest volunteer hasn’t slowed him down. Ricci says he still tries to answer as many fire calls as he can. “I’ll stay a volunteer as long as they’ll let me - unless they decide to throw me out.”

The 75-year-old says he still gets as excited when the phone rings as he did at 25. “You don’t know what you’re going to go up against, but when you see that flame shooting, it’s pretty good.” Colleagues, friends and family honored Ricci June 26 during a surprise party at the Mill Street station, where the
proclamation below was read:

City of Ely
Proclamation Recognizing Gerald Ricci
For 50 years of service with the Ely Volunteer Fire Department
WHEREAS, Gerald Ricci has and continues to live in the City of Ely, within White Pine County, State of Nevada, for 75 years; and,
WHEREAS Gerald Ricci became a member of the Ely Volunteer Fire Department 50 years ago; and,
WHEREAS, Gerald Ricci is still an active Member of the Ely Volunteer Fire Department, continues to volunteer his time, energy and experience to the safety of fellow firefighters, the citizens and visitors of the City of Ely and White Pine County, and;
WHEREAS, Gerald Ricci never refuses a person in time of need, makes himself available for community projects, maintains high morals, leads by example; and,
NOW, THEREFORE, be it proclaimed that the City of Ely, through its City Council, hereby recognizes Gerald Ricci for his dedication and commitment to the Ely Volunteer Fire Department for the past 50 years.
Proclaimed by the following vote of the Ely City Council on June 24, 2010