SAVOY — Robert P. Herrmann, Savoy’s fire chief for 19 years and a machinist who developed innovative and high-performance parts for motorcycles and snowmobiles, is being remembered for his quick mind and calm leadership.

Herrmann died Jan. 13 at Berkshire Medical Center. He was 81.

Herrmann was Savoy’s sixth fire chief, serving as a firefighter for a total of 24 years and as chief from Oct. 11, 1977, to Oct. 1, 1996. While he technically retired from the department, he stayed on to mentor Tom Decker, his successor as chief.

“That man was unflappable,” Decker recalled. “He was coolest under pressure.”

A man of few words, when Herrmann spoke, people listened.

Herrmann was born in Adams on June 23, 1944, the son of Paul K. and Florence M. Chamberlain. He graduated from Adams Memorial High School in 1962 and served in the Army National Guard until 1971.

He met Mary Ann Salamon on a double date and the two got married March 6, 1971, at Saint Stanislaus Kostka Church. On the day they were married, there was a snowstorm. Salamon lived at the top of a hill in Adams and Herrmann used his influence to get her road plowed so she could make it to the church on time, according to his son, Tim Herrmann.

The couple then moved to Savoy where Robert Herrmann ran for Select Board, serving for two terms. He also served as civil defense director and later as emergency management coordinator. In addition, he served on the board of the former Adams Ambulance Service.

“I think he kind of saw himself as a person who could bring ideas to Savoy,” said Tim Herrmann. “I think the fire department was his way of giving back to the town, or providing his service to the town, where he didn't have to be so much in the public eye — until he became chief.”

When he was younger, Robert Herrmann raced snowmobiles, motorcycles and participated in motocross. He was a lifelong hunter and fisherman. He was a member of the Hoosac Valley Motorcycle Club and the Adams Outdoorsmen for Youth.

He worked at E.D. Jones Machine in Dalton, becoming an instructor, then agreed to partner with Ronnie Ouimet in establishing H & R Machine on Alger Street in 1967.

The two worked together for 20 years with Herrmann as the mastermind — he could design, machine and weld. Herrmann designed aftermarket parts for snowmobiles and for motorcycles, but he also ventured into other areas, for example, developing equipment for seeding plants.

As Ouimet’s motorcycle business took off, Herrmann ran the Alger Street machine shop until the day before his death. Herrmann took on a string of apprentices from McCann Technical School. Some became successful in machining and engineering.

Ouimet took Herrmann’s parts to Japan, where he demonstrated them in motorcycle races and they were incorporated into new models.

Current Savoy Fire Chief Peter Miner grew up in the town's fire station, where his father was assistant chief. He remembers that Herrmann enlisted him at the age of 4 or 5 to begin his training as a firefighter, reaching out to children of other firefighters as well.

“He would always have just a plain Jane pickup truck. He never had anything fancy,” Miner said. “He would always come home for supper with his wife.”

Then the Herrmanns would take a spin around town before he headed back to his shop for the evening.

“And you would always see him, his Beagle ... and Mary Ann always sat in the middle, and the dog always sat on the outside."

While most people didn’t see Robert Herrmann’s temper, Tim, who worked with his father in the machine shop, said he had one.

“He would get visibly upset with machines, with tools, with things that didn’t come out right, but with people he was generally much more forgiving," he said.

He said his father had incredibly focused concentration.

“He didn’t panic,” he said. “He didn’t get flustered. When there was a crisis, he was the person you wanted in charge.”

Robert leaves his wife, Mary Ann Herrmann; his son, Timothy J. Herrmann, of Adams; his daughter, Alicia S. Herrmann, of Troy, NY; his sister, Margaret A. Rotti, of Pittsfield; two grandchildren, Isaac and Rachael, as well as several nieces and nephews.