Saratoga News

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Cancer claims the life of former city fire chief, Gordon Duncan

By Michele Leung

An outdoorsman and an urban dweller may not have much in common, but Saratoga Fire District Battalion Chief Ron Vega still had a good time talking to his friend and mentor Gordon Duncan, former fire chief of Saratoga. Vega served as assistant chief under Duncan for two years.

"We were opposites," said Vega, the self-proclaimed city slicker. "He was a hunter and an outdoorsman. We'd share stories about our weekends and how different they were."

Duncan died of cancer in Sacramento on June 19. He was 56.

Beginning in 2001, Duncan was assistant fire chief under former Chief Ernie Kraule. A few years later, Kraule retired, and Duncan took over until 2005. He was head of the fire district during the transition time when the district moved from being an independent organization to an entity that contracts with the Santa Clara County Fire Department for the management positions. He was also instrumental in the department's move to its new fire station.

Vega said when the direction to work closer with the county fire department came about, Duncan worked with elected officials and local residents in bringing together various points of view.

"Politically, it was a volatile period," Vega said. "It represented a change in the community and the organization. It wasn't a hard sell, but it was a look at how to serve the community best.

"His real skill was to establish relationships and look at the big picture," Vega added.

Duncan was a longtime firefighter in the Sacramento City Fire Department, where he rose through the ranks and was battalion chief before coming to Saratoga. When he retired from public service in 2005, the city honored him last March with a reception at the Saratoga Foothill Club. Many former colleagues from the Sacramento area also came down to wish him well.

Duncan, well liked by his colleagues, then moved to Elk Grove with his wife.

Vega said he still sought out his old mentor when Duncan moved north and called once in a while to catch up.

"He was a central figure in my career development," Vega, 44, said. Vega is also the EMS coordinator with the county fire department.

City Manager Dave Anderson also praised Duncan for his contributions to the city.

"My lasting impression of him is that he is a person who just had the greatest sense of integrity and professionalism, the highest level I've ever known," Anderson said.

Duncan had a wry sense of humor, but he was also intense and businesslike, Anderson said.

Duncan's death took him by surprise.

"It was quite a shock," Anderson said. "He was in pretty good health and young enough to enjoy his retirement."

Duncan had a previous bout of Hodgkin's disease, and had a relapse.

"He had the frame of mind that he was on borrowed time," Vega said, adding that Duncan will be sorely missed in Saratoga.

"His time with us was brief as a leader, but his impact was long felt," Vega said. "The measurement of his direction hasn't come to full fruition but should be soon."

Duncan is survived by his wife, four grown daughters, two grandchildren and two sisters.