The extensive training required of today’s firefighters weren’t there when outgoing Wareham Fire Chief Robert McDuffy joined the department at 16.

“I walked into the station and they said: ‘Here’s a set of gear. You’re an instant firefighter,’” McDuffy, 53, recalled. “I had to figure out how to respond to calls because I didn’t have a driver’s license.”

After 36 years with the department, McDuffy announced earlier this month he will retire on Sept. 8. He spent the last 18 years as chief.

McDuffy said he wanted to be a firefighter since he was a child, drawn to the service aspect of the career – everything from battling blazes to helping a kid put air in a bike tire.

“Our whole motivation is to help people,” said McDuffy. “It’s important the fire service doesn’t forget the citizens and what we can do for them in between emergency calls.”

After joining, he worked his way up the ranks before becoming chief in 1999.

McDuffy said his appointment came at a time when there was instability in the department. Also, some longer serving firefighters felt slighted when the then 35-year-old McDuffy accepted the offer.

“I had a lot of opposition,” he said. “One of my missions was to do more with less for the benefit of the taxpayer.”

He reduced an excessive number of firefighters on staff and eventually drafted a 10-year capital plan for vehicles and equipment.

The plan meticulously identifies each vehicle the department uses, forecasting when replacements are needed and at what cost.

“We wanted to show these weren’t being purchased on a whim,” said McDuffy. “They were methodical and thought out.”

Looking back on his years, McDuffy said the department forged excellent relationships with the town’s other public safety agencies and their department heads, including Wareham EMS Director Dave Evans, Police Chief Kevin Walsh and Onset Fire Chief Ray Goodwin.

A Wareham native, McDuffy and his wife, Jana, have four children together: Robert, 30; Rose, 27; Michaela, 19; and Julia, 11.

The decision to retire was a difficult one, said McDuffy. But with the department on solid ground he wanted to leave while, “I’m at the top of my game.”

Looking ahead, McDuffy said he might enter politics. He didn’t offer details, just saying his municipal experience would be an asset.

“I like to think I have something to offer,” said McDuffy. “I’ve got a lot of fire left in my tank.”