Windsor Fire honors pioneer

Call him a pioneer, a legend or one of the area’s biggest
characters, Vic Pozzi has been a fixture in the Windsor community
for nearly five decades.
On Friday, Oct. 22 more than 100 firefighters and community
members crowded into the Mary Agatha Furth Center to honor Pozzi’s
45 years of service to Windsor Fire and the community it protects.
The dinner event included a good old-fashioned roasting and a slide
show commemorating his life and service.
“We wanted to recognize the 45 years of service he’s given to
the community and the volunteer association for the district,” said
Ron Collier, fire chief of the Windsor Fire Protection District.
“Vic was one of the founding fathers of the fire department in
Windsor. His dedication to Windsor fire over the years has been
incredible. He’s been the pillar of the volunteers for years. He’s
greatly respected.”
Pozzi is known by many as the owner of the Shiloh Road ranch
(some would call zoo) across from the Trendwest Resort timeshare
community. There the longtime dairyman keeps his flocks and herd of
emus, Brahma bulls, sheep, geese and a variety of other creatures
that delight locals and tourists alike. He’s known for painting
cows purple and a sheep with the likeness of the American Flag—and
even for wearing a silver fire suit out in the fields that makes
him look more like a spaceman than rancher.
Pozzi lost his voice and could not answer questions for this
article last weekend, but others were more than willing to speak
for him.
Collier called him a charismatic man who loves to gab. “He loves
talking to people and he’ll make you laugh,” he said. “He just has
fun with life and enjoys people. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Vic
mad. He’s always got a great smile and enjoys life.”
Pozzi sat with a smile on Friday while Windsor Fire Battalion
Chief Joe Giordani gave him some good-hearted ribbing in a classic
roasting. He teased Pozzi, among other things, for his
bachelorhood. “Vic being a sheep farmer and a bachelor all of your
life, there’s a lot of material right there,” he said.
“We didn’t know all this time Vic has had a lover,” said
Giordani, pointing to a photograph on the slide projector that
showed Pozzi standing next to Collier in a blond wig. “Here, take a
look.”
Ribbing aside, most of the night was dedicated to Pozzi’s long
history with the department. The walls of the hall were lined with
photographs, plaques and awards dedicated to Pozzi, including one
with his namesake: the Vic Pozzi Award for Most Dependable. “Vic
won it so many times we finally named the damn award after him,”
said Giordani.
The audience later watched a slideshow documenting his life.
Pozzi was born Victor Archangel Pozzi on the 4th of July, 1931
to parents Jerry and Flora Pozzi, a family of dairy farmers. He
attended a one-room elementary school—the school’s only pupil for a
three-year period. He graduated from Sonoma Valley High School in
1950 with his own herd of 47 cattle. He was the first student at
the school to be named “American Farmer” by the Future Farmers of
America and traveled to Kansas City by train to receive the
honor.
A month after graduating high school, Pozzi took over running
the family dairy after his father suffered a heart attack. In the
following 37 years he never missed a milking—estimated at 25,500
throughout his career—outside of his three years in the United
States Army.
Pozzi began his firefighting career with the Schell-Vista Fire
Department in 1956, serving there until his family moved to Windsor
in 1963. He was given a gold badge when he left and remains an
honorary member of the department to this day, 47 years later.
In 1963 Pozzi moved to Windsor and continued his career as a
dairyman. In 1965 he was one of 25 to attend the first meeting
discussing the need for a fire department in Windsor and put up
$100 in seed money to get it started. He is the only surviving
founding member of the department.
Pozzi then served as a volunteer firefighter in Windsor until
his 75th birthday on July 4, 2006—credited with responding to
24,000 calls. In 1986 Pozzi joined the newly formed Windsor Fire
Protection District Board of Directors, a seat he holds still. He
also remains an honorary volunteer of the department.
“I think of him as an ambassador for Windsor,” said Ginger
Hamilton, the longtime Administrative Assistant for Windsor Fire.
“He’s served Windsor Fire since the day of its inception. He’s a
jewel.”