Retiring Ontario County Emergency Management Office director gets big send-off

CANANDAIGUA, NY - Not everyone regularly receives a Christmas card from a woman who lost everything in a house fire.

But Jeffrey Harloff does.

She is one of the many, many “interesting people” the retiring Ontario County Emergency Management Office director has met in his nearly 32 years in this line of work, which includes investigating the causes of devastating fires such as this as fire coordinator or many other sorts of calamities that suddenly place unsuspecting people smack dab in the middle of the worst days of their lives.

And, in the process, those who have worked with him for years say Harloff has provided a friendly ear and given hope and direction as they move forward with their suddenly changed lives, even as he worked with a scientist’s eye to determine just how a particular disaster unfolded.

Many are the times Harloff could be found at a fire scene, poring over the blackened remains of photographs or toys or appliances or walls and ceilings, looking for clues. It’s a process he compares to “peeling an onion.”

Over his 31-plus years in the job, Harloff, who also is a 42-year Ionia firefighter, has demonstrated humanity along with technical expertise in these most difficult of situations, which he said is merely him following the motto of the office.

“It’s not just giving people what they expect,” Harloff said. “It’s giving people more than what they expect.”

A send-off for Jeffrey Harloff

Harloff’s last day on the job was Thursday, which ended with an emergency services escort from his office at the Ontario County Safety Training Facility in Hopewell to the Ionia fire hall. Representatives from most every department, if not all, in the county was there for him on his special day, like he was for them on not-so-special days – and evenings.

“That’s a big tribute to what the man is and what he did for us in the county,” said Richmond Fire Commissioner Rick Frost, who has known and worked with Harloff for years and was part of the procession.

Like Harloff has said, no two days on this job are the same and this was a first. While he has helped organize similar escorts for others, it marked his first in the lead car.

Besides the people, the on-the-job variety is one of the things he said he’ll miss the most.

“Every day is different than any of the previous ones,” Harloff said. “You start out the day some days right after midnight and other days at 7:30. A phone call or a pager or someone showing up to the office can send your day in a whole different direction. And that’s kind of neat compared to other jobs.”

Starting a career in Ontario County

A third-generation firefighter who worked as a paramedic in Michigan and Rochester and for a time aboard a Mercy Flight Central helicopter, Harloff started with the county in September 1991 as county emergency medical services coordinator, when the position was a part-time one. He was appointed interim fire coordinator after Don Barnes, who was director of emergency management services, retired.

Then Harloff took over as director in January 2003.

Almost as soon as he started, Harloff kept a logbook of incidents, along with a few facts or details of each. He pulled out the book as his retirement approached, which brought him back to his early days; overall, he helped investigate 780 fires since he started, but the first two years seemed especially “hellish,” he said.

Fires of all sorts, a plane crash in Naples and flooding proved a real baptism by fire as Harloff’s boss at the time, former County Administrator Geoff Astles, put it to him. A fire in Gorham in which he and Barnes pulled the bodies of a mother and child from the structure comes to his mind.

Harloff remembers it was a cold day and they took a break at daylight, sitting there watching the sun come out.

“Not a pleasant fire or experience, but it was a feeling of completeness when we found the two victims amid the fire debris,” Harloff said.

Will he miss the job? Yes, but things like the loss of children’s lives and seeing grief-stricken families having to start all over again will stick with him. Especially now, as he, too, embarks on a different path.

“To see people who lost everything in a tragic event, just the thought of starting over again from scratch,” Harloff said. “All their possessions − the photos, the grandparents' items that these people cherished and all of it’s lost − that’s devastating."

On the job

Harloff said he is thankful to have been able to talk to people and give them direction as they navigate through their worst moments following a devastating event.

It doesn’t take long to learn that everyone can be affected by an emergency situation.

“It doesn’t matter who they are or how much wealth they have or what they do for a living,” Harloff said. “I’d like to walk away with the person feeling that we’ve done all that we can do to help them figure out a direction or path to go after that disaster.”

While so many aspects of the job are rewarding, Harloff said he won’t miss the 2 a.m. phone calls, the holidays, or dashing out just before a meal was served. He distinctly remembers when his first nephew was going to celebrate his first Christmas, but then the call came before he and his family left – a fatal fire in Farmington.

“I spent the whole day helping with the investigation, which is rewarding, but it’s something you miss because you can’t ever make that up,” Harloff said.

What others say about Harloff

The garage, filled with lawnmowers and tools – like many garages, it resembled a dumping ground – was a total loss after the fire.

Rick Frost remembers helping Harloff go through what was left, taking orders on what to pick up and polish off while he investigated.

Then, almost literally finding a needle in a haystack, Harloff found what he was looking for; one wire that had a staple through it, the former fire chief said.

In other words, the cause.

"It was amazing how he found this one wire that had a staple through it,” Frost said. "I’ve seen him come up with some pretty wild finds, and there were times it stumped him. But more often than not, he’d find out what it was. That one time really impressed me. I can’t believe he found it.”

Ontario County Deputy Fire Coordinator Scott DeCook, who is past chief of the Port Gibson Fire Department, said Harloff is a wonderful man who has bent over backwards for the county.

Through training and know-how, Harloff had knack for entering homes damaged by fire, and finding out what went wrong. And he was “fantastic” in helping victims.

“He understood them. He knew what they were going through,” DeCook said. “It was natural; he just had that ability to walk up to somebody, knowing they’re having a bad day and make them forget about the bad day. And then do his job. It was amazing to watch him. He’s going to be missed. He’s done a wonderful job.”

Shortsville Fire Chief Jason Wagner said he has always had a great working relationship with Harloff, who dedicated his life to helping other people.

Harloff is very good at talking with families during difficult times, which Wagner noted is a difficult thing to do and unfortunately, he has had a lot of practice at it over the years.

“We’re not bad at it," Wagner said. “Jeff is better.”

Besides all the qualities Harloff possesses, DeCook said Harloff will be missed because “when you don’t know the pager’s going to go off, and you gotta get up in the middle of the night, a snowstorm, or rainstorm or wind, he was always there.”

“He never let anybody down,” DeCook said.

What’s next for Harloff

Harloff will take the summer to decompress, and then pick up something to do part time in the fall, although he’s not sure what that will be just yet.

Harloff said he will continue to be a firefighter in Ionia, mentioning that he just attended a drill and was refreshed on running the water pump, which he has not done regularly in recent times.

“It’s kind of like riding a bicycle,” Harloff said. “It comes back to you once you put your hands on the controls.”

Harloff said he will continue to donate time to the Emergency Services Honor Guard, which he said is something of a pet project of his.

Harloff said he feels it’s important for families to know that other firefighters or ambulance people think enough of a deceased fellow first responder’s commitment and service to attend their calling hours, stand guard at the casket and read the firemen’s or EMS prayer.

He knows, because the courtesy was extended to his family on the passing of his father.

“I can tell you from being on the receiving end, it is greatly appreciated by the family and it’s something they remember for years,” Harloff said.

Harloff will also spend more time with family, including wife Cheryl and his two stepsons. He said this is a good opportunity for another person to step into the job – a successor has not been named – and work with the county and emergency services to chart the future.

“Everyone kept saying you’ll know when it’s time to retire,” Harloff said. “Some parts of me think I should stay. Other parts of me say I should retire and pick up a new challenge. It just feels like the timing is right.”

Anyone who serves in this or a similar position is not doing it for the money. Instead, this career path is a way of life and he will miss the people over the years who shared in it along the way. Many people look back and say it’s been an honor and a privilege, Harloff said.

“I can tell you that working here has been both and a lot more,” Harloff said.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Jeffrey Harloff retires from Ontario County Emergency Management Office