Chief Vickery, 1920-96

WITH the creation of the Medic One program, Gordon F. Vickery displayed his talents for inspiration and perspiration that helped usher in the modern era of the fire service.

The genius behind the much-acclaimed and much-copied emergency-response network was to understand its value not only in saving lives, but also its capacity to redefine the mission of fire departments that fought fewer fires.

Vickery, who died Saturday at age 76, was a tough man who rose in a profession that respected courage, raw power and tradition. The chief's personal and political strength is measured by the change he brought to conservative fire halls before he retired in 1972.

Medic One was an immediate hit with the public but not with City Hall, which equated firefighters with trucks and ladders and offered tepid support. Vickery used what he called "tin cup" community fund raising to see the rescue service through its early years.

The day after he retired, Vickery became superintendent of Seattle's municipally owned utility, City Light. He hit a rocky patch - with rebellious employees who chaffed under his management style, with his own initial resistance to energy conservation and with expensive miscues on nuclear-power investments. His success was bringing an independent fiefdom back into local government.

Vickery regained his full stride with presidential appointments in the late 1970s that tapped his experience and stamina on behalf of improving the nation's firefighting capabilities. He was a leader in fire-prevention education, tougher building codes and the use of smoke detectors and sprinkler systems in buildings. As director of the U.S. Fire Administration, he founded the National Fire Academy, a premier research and training facility.

Vickery's role in Seattle's civic life spanned a time that saw City Hall evolve from a cozy, cloistered club to modern, professional government subject to a more diverse range of influences. Vickery survived in both settings, with a political and intellectual capacity his opponents underestimated at great peril.

Vickery's enduring legacy is an emergency medical system he helped put in place with bake sales and car washes. Like most pioneers, the chief was shaped by the hard times, so it is natural the request is that remembrances go to Medic One or the Retired Firefighters of Washington.