Text by Nico Colombant for the Vienna Connection, Nov. 11-17, 1998
Doesn't sound like normal retirement? Gaines has always gone "above and beyond", according to Fairfax firefighters interviewed for this story.
During his six plus years at the helm of the department, Gaines made it his habit to visit one of the county's 34 fire stations every week. When 65 local firefighters were sent to Nairobi, Kenya, in August, following the U.S. Embassy bombings in Africa, Gaines made sure their families were taken care of.
The outgoing fire chief says he believes in the theories of Maslow -- the 18th century German psychologist -- who wrote about human needs. "It begins with food and shelter," Gaines, 55, recites. "It builds with needs such as a sense of team. Firefighting provides for all the human emotions: identity, challenge and the personal satisfaction of making a positive difference."
Fairfax County Fire Chief Glenn Gaines, the first firefighter in county history to reach the top spot after going through all the ranks, is hanging up his helmet in December after 34 years of service. He hopes to complete a bachelor's degree in public administration, become a nationally-ranked power-lifter and write educational books about firefighting.
