Newtown Hook & Ladder Co. #1 Chief and Waterbury firefighter Ray Corbo is not somebody you necessarily want to meet in the line of work. But if you do, his colleagues will be the first to say that you are in good hands.Waterbury's Most DecoratedA Harrowing Rescue

Chief Corbo, a lieutenant and key member of the city's sole rescue, hazmat and collapse extrication unit for much of his 22 years on the job, was recently named Waterbury Firefighter of the Year. According to longtime friend, fellow firefighting academy graduate and Waterbury Deputy Chief Bryan DeAngelo - who nominated Chief Corbo for the honor - the lifelong Newtown resident and former Marine has been involved in countless dangerous and life-threatening situations from structure fires to motor vehicle extrications to high elevation rope rescues and hazardous material incidents.

"Ray excels in all of these areas of expertise," Mr DeAngelo wrote, "and he brings that expertise to every incident, as he is always one of the guys you would seek for help or advice."

But the youthful veteran responder, who has been involved with firefighting since his early teens volunteering at Hook & Ladder, will be the first to say that he believes he was recognized among his Waterbury peers as much for what he does off the front lines of fire service as for what he does in the thick of a raging structure fire or the chaotic scene of a intense car crash.

In his nomination letter to the Waterbury Awards Committee, Mr DeAngelo pointed out that Chief Corbo has taken over the department's Special Services Committee, which represents line of duty and retiree funerals, and at the Fallen Firefighters Memorial.

In a separate letter of recognition for the award, Waterbury Battalion Chief James Peplau noted that Chief Corbo's professionalism and discipline are likely rooted in his service with the US Marine Corps, where he served four years before successfully testing for the Waterbury department.

As a Marine, Chief Corbo served principally with the 26th Expeditionary Force, a rapid deployment unit stationed in the eastern Mediterranean. His service includes two combat deployments in direct support of Operation Desert Storm.

"Operationally, you can understand Ray Corbo in one word, Marine," Mr Peplau wrote. "More than 20 years later, his bearing is distinctly Marine and so are his results. Ray will press on through a crisis with too few resources, time and time again, bringing each to a successful conclusion. His solutions may not be the prettiest, but their effectiveness is incontestable. Ray expertly assesses emergencies and intimately understands his resources and how best to employ them. But Ray is far more than a Marine."

The battalion chief goes on to relate how Chief Corbo was called back from service to take care of his family in the wake of his father's sudden passing.

"Ray stabilized the situation, assuming control of the family's business," Mr Peplau wrote. "He cites his mom's silent, dignified strength at that time as the foundation of his own grit."

With five Medals of Commendation and numerous citations for company actions, Mr Peplau noted that Chief Corbo is the Waterbury department's most decorated firefighter.

He said Chief Corbo's passion for firefighting and concern for his fellow firefighters is also apparent in the many years he has been active in the department's Special Services Unit, which pays respect to the fallen through memorial ceremonies across the state, and provides color guards to countless other firefighter and civic events.

"Ray believes Special Services is one more way he repays the brotherhood of firefighting for all it has given him," Mr Peplau wrote. "And he has also been a leader in the department's best-in-the-state collections for the Muscular Dystrophy Association."

Personally, Chief Corbo's approach to any situation is described as, "always direct and on point; his mannerism, matter-of-fact."

"He takes charge, plays to his team's strengths, resolves the problem and moves on," the battalion chief continued. "His men wouldn't have it any other way."

Chief Corbo joined Hook & Ladder at age 16, and turned to the Marines when he learned he probably would not be hired to be a paid municipal firefighter until he was at least 21. Since his return from military service and his successful testing to join the Waterbury department, he has concurrently left his mark in Newtown, as well.

He has made improvements throughout the operations and administration of the department as assistant chief and chief; responded to the mundane, and to disasters including gasoline tanker fires and the tragedy at Sandy Hook, Mr PePlau wrote.

The company officer recounted Chief Corbo's favorite call, which he said involved assisting a woman in Waterbury to deliver her baby.

"Beyond the joy of a new life, the experience prompted Ray to reflect on those most important to him, his wife, Elaine, and son, Joey, his inspirations to give his best each day, always bringing his calm confidence to bear on the problem at hand," Mr Peplau wrote. "In many ways, Ray Corbo is an ordinary man who routinely does the extraordinary, with courage, humility and skill to improve the lives of others."

Recalling another much more harrowing situation, Chief Corbo talked about an incident that tested his Marine-instilled discipline when he was responding to an apartment complex fire where a resident was trapped. As his colleagues elsewhere in the building located and began rescuing a trapped victim just above the fire, he went in an adjacent window to rescue two others who were trapped as fire was engulfing the multifamily building.

While he was searching the adjacent apartment, his colleague attempting to rescue the other trapped individual experienced a problem and subsequently fell from the ladder while holding the original victim. While that incident played out one room away, Chief Corbo said he steeled himself to the task at hand instead of abandoning others in peril to try and assist his brother firefighter.

"All the time I'm in there listening to the screaming on the radio, but I have two victims myself you have to get out," Chief Corbo recalled. "It's a really hard thing to do. That was probably the first time I realized how it takes a lot of discipline to do what you're supposed to be doing when it's your guys in trouble. I had a little old lady in my arms, probably 100 years old, and my guys are out there on the ground.

"Maybe without that military training, it could have turned out a lot different and we could have lost more people," he added.

His official duties as Firefighter of the Year involve a trio of appearances representing the department extending into 2017, and he will continue working with the department's awards committee and on fundraising for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Chief Corbo's volunteer work with Newtown will also continue, bringing his experience, training and unique brand of discipline to help better protect and respond locally when the call for help comes in - and guiding his Newtown Hook & Ladder colleagues safely through the incident with success and no resulting injuries.