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As a kid, Robert Logan lived right down the street from a fire station. He would watch the fire engine pass by his house, and dream of riding that truck one day. Now, he is a decorated firefighter and he talks with a friend and colleague about what it took to make his childhood dream come true, as a Black firefighter.
A MARTΓNEZ, HOST:
Time now for StoryCorps. Robert Logan is a firefighter in San Diego. He sat down with his friend and colleague Jason Shanley to talk about his childhood dream of being a firefighter.
ROBERT LOGAN: I grew up three to four houses from a fire station. As a youngster, the fire engine would go by, and I would have my palms and my nose smashed against the window.
JASON SHANLEY: I’m picturing a little kid with a little Afro.
LOGAN: With a dirty diaper and a faded Superman T-shirt.
SHANLEY: (Laughter).
LOGAN: I thought that was the best thing in the world. When I became old enough, I went by the fire station and inquired about becoming a firefighter, but I was discouraged. And you used to be my barber when we both had hair (laughter).
SHANLEY: No one would believe that, either.
LOGAN: (Laughter) You were cutting my hair one day, and you said, hey, I met these Black firefighters who are having a EMT class at a fire station. So we went to a class together. They offered me a job driving an ambulance for $7.25 an hour. And everybody thought I was crazy. It was rough, just watching my bank account dwindle. But I had faith.
And the chief – when he hired me, we had a lunch. And he told me, unfortunately, young man, you’re going to have to be head and shoulders above everybody else. I knew my competition had bachelor’s degrees, so I went out and got a master’s degree. I knew my competition didn’t have executive chief fire officer certification, so I went out and got that. The one thing he didn’t tell me – when you do that, you’d think that the barriers will be eliminated. They’re not.
SHANLEY: One of the things I love about you is that you’re able to turn real negative situations into something super positive.
LOGAN: I was raised by my grandmother. She lived through the Civil Rights Movement, and she was one of the first Black nurses in San Diego. So she endured a lot, but you couldn’t get her to say a bad thing about anybody. She instilled those values in me, and the last thing I wanted to do was let her down. My grandmother dated this guy when I was, like, 6. As a firefighter, I saw him in a care facility. I explained who I was, and I could see his face brighten up when he remembered. His last couple days on this earth, I brought back some good memories – before he passed away.
SHANLEY: He remembered the little guy with the T-shirt plastered against the window.
LOGAN: Yeah.
SHANLEY: And now you’re the highest-ranking African American male in our fire department, who just interviewed for the position of the fire chief. All the things that you’ve been through for you to be where you are right now is a testament to the type of man you are. So, yeah, it’s dope.
LOGAN: Thank you.
(SOUNDBITE OF BENEDIC JUDE LAMDIN AND NATHANIEL KENELM PEARN’S “THE CHALLENGE”)
MARTΓNEZ: Jason Shanley and Robert Logan at StoryCorps. Their conversation is part of the StoryCorps Brightness in Black Project, sharing stories of Black love, joy and triumphs.
