Stanley J. Mruk, Sr. came from a hardworking, well respected family who owned two successful businesses in town. He graduated from Coventry High School in 1943 and went on to graduate from Rhode Island Radio School and The New England Institute of Technology. He was a lifelong resident of Coventry. 

      Stanley J. Mruk, Sr. was a volunteer firefighter at the age of 14, often riding his bicycle to help fight fires. He began a career as a Coventry fire fighter at the age of 18 after serving with the Merchant Marines during WWII. He became an Assistant Chief in 1951 and took over as Chief in early 1960.

      The Anthony fire station, once consisting of mostly part time volunteers, made great strides in the years since Chief Mruk first began his service. The station started with one stall, one truck and covered only a small area but began dispatching for the entire town of Coventry in 1969. The Anthony fire station was the first to have a certified ambulance and rescue crew. Additionally, new vehicles were purchased and life support, cardiac and hazardous waste units were added. During Chief Mruk’s tenure the Anthony fire station became the leading department in Coventry.

     Chief Mruk was also the town’s Fire Alarm Superintendent. Under his leadership, the Coventry fire alarm was set up in 1969 to dispatch calls to all the town’s fire districts. He served as the town’s Civil Defense Director and drafted a peacetime disaster plan in 1981 outlining responsibilities and duties as well as providing guidance for officials and agencies. Aimed mainly at hurricane preparedness, Chief Mruk knew a hurricane was the greatest peacetime disaster New England faced.

     A charter member of the Rhode Island Fire Chiefs Association and a member of the New England Fire Chiefs Association, he continued to work diligently toward the growth and success of his department and the community until his retirement in 2006. At that time, active in the fire district for more than 62 years, Chief Mruk was the oldest and longest serving fire chief in Rhode Island.

     The Coventry Fire Alarm Headquarters at 1111 Main Street is named in Chief Mruk’s honor.

His lifetime of service to community has earned him the honor of induction into the CHS Alumni Hall of Fame.