By Terry L. Hapney, Jr.
The Ironton Tribune

An Ironton man with aspirations since his teenage years to become a first responder earned a promotion in the Ironton Police Department.
Ironton Mayor Sam Cramblit and Police Chief Dan Johnson promoted Robert Fouch from patrol officer to sergeant.
In law enforcement for eight years, Fouch said he has always wanted the position of sergeant so he can do more field training with newer officers.
“To finally attain that position excites me,” Fouch said.
Starting his career in South Point, Fouch did a short stint in Coal Grove and New Boston. He joined the Ironton Police Department in 2021.
Fouch’s passion for becoming a first responder started when he was young. He had family members who were tied to “the wrong side of the law.”
“I learned a lot of examples that I didn’t want to partake in that lifestyle,” he said. “It led me to the first-responder realm.”
Fouch has older cousins who were in the volunteer fire department. When he turned 15, they were taking him to the fire department with them.
“It has always been in the back of my mind, like, ‘Hey, you’re going to do something that’s going to be first responder related,’” he said.
As Fouch got a little older, he started coaching wrestling and jiu-jitsu—meeting many law-enforcement officers—including his captain, Chad Gue.
“He looked at me one day and said, ‘Dude, you need to be a cop,’” Fouch said. “The pedal has been to the metal ever since then.”
Originally from Huntington, Fouch said the most rewarding part of his job—other than “coming home every night”—is helping and giving back to everyone else.
“It seems like a cliché answer, but I have yet to meet an officer in law enforcement who has never felt that way,” he said. “It’s always some sort of giving back. It’s more than a job. It really is a lifestyle.”
Fouch said this week was a rough one for the Ironton Police Department with the loss of “our beloved clerk, Cindy (Prater).”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with her family,” he said.
Chief Johnson said Fouch is “one of our better pickups we’ve had in a while.”
“He has earned the promotion,” Johnson said. “He’s very level-headed. He’s older than a lot of the officers we have now. He’s 33, which doesn’t seem very old. We have a lot of young officers nowadays.”
Johnson said Fouch coached his 18-year-old son in wrestling during his senior year at Ironton.
“He did a fantastic job with that,” Johnson said.
Fouch’s wife, Devin, and children—Addy, Kiki and Ryker—attended the ceremony to see their husband and father promoted.