Chances are, the advice is sound. The man giving it has been a volunteer firefighter since 1961.

“If you are joining a volunteer fire company for the glory and lights and siren, stop right there,” said Crane, who joined the Stanley Hose company in Sherman in 1961. “You have to have compassion, patience and a desire to help people who are sick, injured, or have mental problems, while still having family time, time for education and for training.”

William Robert Crane, best known as Bob Crane, retired from the Stanley Hose Company this year, after more than six decades of service. He joined the Stanley Hose Co. in 1961 and, in 1971, he took his first EMT class.

A tribute written to Crane by the Stanley Hose Co. reads “From that moment on, Bob poured his heart into answering calls for help- dedicating himself to serving his neighbors with unwavering compassion, professionalism and humility.”

Bob Crane and his wife, Kathy stand in front of their house in Sherman which can easily be recognized by the fire department decorations out front.

In 1982, Bob was one of the first to complete the Advanced EMT course offered in Chautauqua County. For more than five decades he has responded to thousands of calls. As the tribute says, “whether it was a neighbor, a friend, or a complete stranger, Bob was there.”

While Crane admits that the Stanley Hose Co. was his second home through the years, his work as an Advanced EMT went much farther. In 1980, he was hired part-time at Westfield Community Hospital doing triage in the ER. Then he held a full-time position as an Emergency Department Technician for 14 years.

“During that time, I took my AEMT, of course. I worked part time at ALSTAR and was offered a job as a flight medic on ALSTAR’s Starflight,” he said. “One of the greatest times I had was flying on Starflight.”

Crane also worked at the Chautauqua Institute during the summer session as a medic for 10 years. “I really enjoyed it, visiting and taking care of the people there,” he said.

Crane said that, to him, all calls were of equal importance. “Of all of my EMS calls over the years, none are worse or better than the others,” he said. “Anything from a hang nail to a cardiac arrest to a multiple trauma or a person who just needs TLC . . . babies and children are always an increase in adrenaline.”

A critical aspect of being a volunteer firefighter and an EMT is a lot of classroom study and, of course, on the job training, Crane said. “Most important, is working together with your fellow members and mutual aid companies,” he said.

Taking time to talk about a call with fellow firefighters and family members is also very important, Crane said. “Did we provide the best care for the patient? If the call was a bad call, or a call was not a success, talking it over will help prevent burnout,” he said.

Crane’s wife Kathy, being in the medical field herself, understood the importance of Bob’s service and she remained in full support of him throughout his career.

“When we got married, I knew I wasn’t marrying just a man, I was marrying a firefighter,” she said smiling.

Crane said having a registered nurse as a wife was invaluable for keeping him on track.

“I was blessed, My wife Kathy was an RN at Westfield Community Hospital for 40 years. I would come home from a call and we would talk it over, sometimes with smiles and sometimes with tears.”

By doing this, a firefighter or EMT can fight the urge to give up, Crane said. “If you’ve made a mistake, don’t let it make you want to quit,” he said. “Learn from it.”

He has received many honors and accolades throughout the years but, perhaps, the one that means the most to him was a personal honor that was given to him by his fellow firefighters. In April 2025, the Stanley Hose Co. dedicated an ambulance bay to him and painted “Bob Crane Ambulance Bay” on the door.

Crane’s other honors include being named Firefighter of the Year in 1983 both in Sherman and in Chautauqua County. He was also was named Sherman community “Man of the Year” in 2011. In 2017, Crane, along with three fellow firefighters, received the Axel W. Carlson “Unsung Hero” Award from the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation. In 2018, he was named Chautauqua County EMS Provider of the Year.

After his retirement, Crane was honored by the Village of Sherman as Grand Marshall of the Sherman Day parade. At that time, the Stanley Hose Co. tribute to Crane was shared over the public address system.

Crane’s service to the community continues to be recognized. In November, he will travel to Buffalo, where he is being recognized by the American Red Cross in their Real Heroes celebration.

However, if you were to ask him, Crane would probably say that the real honor was serving for the Stanley Hose Co. “I might be a little prejudiced, but the Stanley Hose Co. is one of the best fire and EMS departments in Western New York,” he said. “Our leaders and trainers are the best, whether it is being in charge at fire and EMS calls, scheduling training, performing drills, and keeping up to date on equipment.”

Crane gave credit to Fire Chief Matt Oehlbeck and First through Third Assistant Chiefs, Jared Oehlbeck, Brett Cook and Ray Spacht. But he gave special credit to the department’s secretary Joel Fisher, who is also an EMT.

“He keeps all of our paperwork in order and he does all of our grant work. He is the reason we have top of the line equipment,” he said.

Crane’s decades of service to the community might best be summed up by the tribute written for him.

“To our department and to the community, Bob is more than a responder – he was a symbol of dependability, calmness and compassion. He was, in every sense of the word, a security blanket for our town.”