Lieutenant Mike Mako - Featured Employee June 2002

Lieutenant Mike Mako
City of Titusville Featured Employee

Lieutenant Mike Mako is a New Jersey native who began his firefighting career in the Navy. Enlisting in 1976, he was a fire damage controlman on the U.S. S. Constellation, stationed in California. After his discharge in 1980, he relocated to Florida and obtained his minimum firefighting standards in October of that year from Ocala Fire College. He noted, however, that his final certificate was withheld until he underwent corrective vision surgery, to meet the vision requirements (without corrective lenses) that were in effect at that time.

Lieutenant Mike Mako

Hired in December of 1980 by Titusville Fire Rescue, Mike’s first station assignment was Station #3 on Sisson Road under the leadership of (retired) Lieutenant Bob Spillers. Mike’s employment began when the department was "on the cutting edge" of emergency medical services, adding medical basic life support responses to its mission. This required EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) certification, which Mike added to his certificates in 1981.

Looking at what appeared to be greener pastures, Mike jumped departments for a brief four-month period in 1982, joining Cocoa Fire Department. Asked why he returned, he said that he liked Titusville Fire Rescue better and also liked the people that he had worked with on shift and felt more comfortable in Titusville.

Mike continued to progress, certifying with the State of Florida as a Fire Inspector in 1987. He became a department Battalion Fire Inspector, assisting (retired) Fire Marshal John Messina in performing commercial occupancy inspections during his duty days. He had to resign from the program in 1992 upon his promotion to lieutenant.

Serving as an officer at Station #12 for a number of years, Mike said that he has worked with a bunch of good people, seeing them come and go. Asked about memories or significant events, he noted that some emergency calls, such as the fires at Thompson Trawlers and the Lamplighter Restaurant, he remembers easily, and some of the calls that he would like to forget, he can’t. He then shrugged philosophically and said, "all of it is just part of the job and now I’m looking at the light at the end of the tunnel, with retirement just 4 short years away."

Currently serving as soccer coach for his 5 year-old son, Joseph, and Boy Scout troop leader for his other son, 13 year-old Robert, he is looking forward to spending more time with the rest of his family, wife Cheryle and daughters Summer and Sierra, and participating in his hobbies of water skiing, fishing, and surfing.