Robert Zina moved to Dartmouth in 1969, and joined Fire District No. 3 as a firefighter in 1970.

“Being a firefighter, there’s a lot of pleasure in it – like we go do our job and all we need, all we expect, is just that little smile from the person we're helping,” Zina said. “It gets in your blood – where you like to go, not for the money, but for saving that person if it’s possible.”

Zina, a retiree now, eventually ran for a seat on the District No. 3 Prudential Committee after several peers encouraged him to run.

It’s given him a more in-depth look at how the district has changed over the years. This included watching four fire chiefs come and go, and the addition of full-time positions to the department. Zina has also seen the district's fire stations go through various upgrades.

He noted how the district needs more permanent firefighters, although he knows it’s not feasible right now. At the moment, his priority if re-elected is to continue to allocate the appropriate funds to keep the stations running at its best.

“We just try to do the right thing,” Zina said about the committee. “I know opinions vary, that’s life, but the people out here – they know what we do, they appreciate it and they know what’s going on. They’re not left in the dark. They’ve been happy how we run our station, the fire department, and that’s just what we do.”