He may still be deciding what to hang on the walls of his new office, but Painesville’s newly appointed Fire Chief Tom Hummel is already looking ahead to the tasks at hand.
Firefighting is nothing new to Hummel.
He volunteered immediately after graduating high school to work for the Chardon Fire Department in 1984, as did his father and grandfather before him. It’s a legacy going on its fourth generation with Hummel’s son Tom, who currently works double-duty both as a full-time firefighter in Berea and part-time in Chardon.
Hummel, who left Chardon’s department in 1995 after being hired by Painesville, recalls the impetus to shift departments.
“Painesville is a lot like Chardon, where I grew up.," he said. "It’s a small community that’s tight-knit. The people that live here are very close, they know each other, they’re friendly with each other.