Frank Fire, Sr.

Frank Louis Fire, Sr. passed away on May 30th, 2020 under the care of the hospice professionals at Summa Health/ Akron City Hospital after a brief illness.

Frank was born in Struthers, Ohio on November 23rd, 1937. He was the third son (of four) of James and Rose (Toto) Fire.

Frank graduated from Struthers High School in 1955. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and a Masters in Business Administration from The University of Akron, where he also attended Law School.

Frank spent the majority of his professional career at Americhem Inc. in Cuyahoga Falls, OH. He was one of the first employees, and over his tenure at Americhem he helped it grow to a multinational corporation with over 500 employees at ten manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe, and Asia. Frank was Americhem's first salesman, it's first Sales Manager, it's first Director of Marketing, it's first Vice President of Sales and Marketing, and it's first Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and International Sales. He retired in 2002 after nearly 40 years of service.

Frank taught The Chemistry of Hazardous Materials and The Combustibility of Plastics at The University of Akron, Walsh University, Stark State College, and at The National Fire Science Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland. He educated countless first responders on the best ways to safely manage hazardous materials incidents.

He was the author of eight textbooks and reference books on hazardous materials and the combustibility of plastics. He authored over 200 articles covering these same topic areas, and he served for many years on the editorial board of Fire Engineering magazine.  He was an internationally recognized expert for numerous legal proceedings regarding hazardous material incidents.

Even with his incredibly heavy work, writing, teaching, and professional responsibilities, he never missed a single football game, basketball game, wresting match, or track meet in which any of his four sons participated.

His greatest joys in life were watching the sun set over Lake Erie with his beloved wife of 61 years, Marlene (Bable) Fire, spending time with his seven grandchildren, giving treats to neighborhood dogs, yelling at referees, and making fun of Republicans.

Frank was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers James and Carmen. He is survived by his wife, his brother Anthony (Struthers, Ohio), his four sons, Frank Jr. (Tallmadge, OH), Kevin (Grand Forks, ND), Eric (Lewis Center, OH), Christopher (Gahanna, OH), and seven grandchildren.

There will not be a funeral service or a visitation.

The Fire family requests that, in lieu of flowers or gifts, a donation be made in Frank's memory to The Humane Society of Summit County (Ohio), or The Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Humane Society of Summit County
7996 Darrow Rd, Twinsburg OH 44087
Web: https://www.summithumane.org/donate

Center for Scence in the Public Interest
1220 L St NW Ste 300, Washington DC 20005
Web: https://action.cspinet.org/page/15898/donate