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Retiring Pasco Fire Officials Honored

Carl Orth/SUNCOAST NEWS

County commissioners today honored Timothy Fussell, who retired Sept. 29 after 32 years with the Pasco County Emergency Services Department.

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SUNCOAST NEWS STAFF

Published: October 27, 2007

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. - NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. - Where there's smoke, there's fire – and longtime firefighter Timothy Fussell.

A mainstay for 32 years, Fussell retired Sept. 29 as a battalion chief for the Pasco County Emergency Services Department. County commissioners recently honored him with a resolution.

Fussell began as a volunteer firefighter with the old Southwest Pasco Volunteer Fire Department in 1975.

He signed on full-time with the county emergency services department on Sept. 16, 1977, as a firefighter.

He was promoted to Pasco Fire Rescue driver-engineer on May 11, 1986.

A year later, Fussell rose to become training instructor.

The rank of lieutenant-EMT was bestowed upon him in 1988. Within seven months, he was promoted to training chief.

Fussell acquired his paramedic certification on July 28, 1989.

In 1990, Fussell took a leave of absence when he was called to active duty by the United States Navy. He was deployed to Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Shield in which he served as a hospital corpsman assigned to fleet hospitals.

Back with Fire Rescue, Fussell became a district chief in 1991.

Fussell and other county employees earned praise for assisting victims of Hurricane Andrew in south Florida in 1992.

He then studied and received an associate of science degree in fire science technology on May 28, 1993.

For 14 years, Fussell also served as fire chief for the city of Port Richey. For 10 years, Fussell doubled as an instructor for the emergency medical services degree program at Pasco-Hernando Community College.

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