Kelly Thompson retires after 39 years
By JONATHAN SNYDER
Kelly Thompson’s 39-year tenure for the Bluffton Fire Department has come to an end, with his resignation letter turned in to the Bluffton Common Council on April 23.
Thompson joined the BFD in 1985, making him the longest-tenured firefighter on the force before his resignation. Over those 39 years, Thompson has become a mentor to many firefighters who are still on the force and to those who have moved on.
The department has gone through significant changes during Thompson’s tenure. Much of the equipment that came through came from donated money. Thompson remembered the department’s efforts in selling phone books and taking them throughout the city to get funding. From equipment to personnel, Thompson has seen the department grow exponentially.
“When I first started here, we had two frontline pumper (trucks), and they were (from) 1962 and 1963,” Thompson said. “We went from a part-time chief to full-time chief and assistant chief. A fire inspector — we got one of those. We had one back then, but it was part-time — it was just when the guy had time to do it. We had three drivers — now we got six or eight. It’s changed a lot.”
Thompson gleaned a lot of knowledge from his 39-year tenure, which he’s always enjoying passing down to others. Battalion Chief Brandon Mechling, who worked with Thompson for 25 years, lauded Thompson’s knowledge of cars and how to extract people from wrecked vehicles.
Mechling remembered one time when the team had to improvise to retrieve someone from a vehicle impact. Mechling said Thompson’s adaptability and knowledge of vehicles made the rescue a much easier process.
“He could look at the whole picture and just mechanically know if we pry here we cut here, we do this, do that (we can get inside),” Mechling said. “He can see the overall picture and is very helpful on giving suggestions or (advice) like, ‘Hey, have we thought about it this way or thought about it that way.’”
Thompson has a knack for mentoring the younger guys, according to Fire Chief Don Craig and Deputy Fire Chief Chris Wolf, both of whom came on after Thompson, and Mechling. Thompson emphasized showing up to training sessions and sharing his knowledge with others.
“That was always a good trait about Kelly. Kelly would always share what he what he knew or what he learned,” Wolf said. “That’s just Kelly. Kelly can make a friend with a tree.”
Craig recalled Thompson training him on driving a grass rig with a boat trailer attached behind it. Craig said he was apprehensive about driving it because he had little experience with a trailer at the time.
“Kelly grabbed me and said, ‘Jump in!’ And you know, I’m kind of stammering but (Thompson) says, ‘You got this!’ So he jumped in the passenger seat. I jump in the driver’s seat, and we start moving,” Craig remembered. “Kelly just looks at me and says, ‘Calm down, you’re in a parking lot, it’s not an emergency, just calm down and drive the thing like you would your own vehicle.”
“(Thompson) would do that at driver’s training. He’d do that in a fire. He does that in education. He would sit there, and he would coach and mentor,” Wolf added. “(Thompson) would think, ‘Man, instead of me grabbing the tool, instead of me getting behind the wheel and doing this. How about you do it? And then we both feel good when we leave.’ He was he was more of a giver than a taker.”
“I always try to include a new one or two of them or three (firefighters). I always try to include them because they don’t learn if we don’t tell them,” Thompson said. “I want to make them more forward where they feel like, ‘Hey, I know how to do that!’ So they don’t have to ask and don’t feel like, ‘I wish Thompson was here.” I don’t want them to feel that way.”
Thompson was also extremely dedicated to the department. Mechling noted that many other guys have only lasted about two or three years in the department. Craig admires that no matter what was going on in Thompson’s life, Thompson was vigilant.
“The fact that he stayed on the fire service in spite of catastrophic events that happened in his own personal life,” Craig said. “To put that aside, and still want to be in this community, helping others, says a lot about Kelly.”
“Sometimes you get (new firefighters) saying, ‘It’s neat,’ and they’ll be on it for two years, and (then) they’re done,” Mechling said. “Then you can see a guy that’s been doing it for almost 40 years. I think it just serves as a good reminder that you know, you’re doing good for the community and that there’s a reward at the end of it.”
Kelly’s absence will be sorely missed, Wolf said. In his retirement, Thompson plans to continue restoring a group of old motorcycles and enjoy time with his grandchildren. Throughout his tenure, Thompson understood the need to be a mentor and friend to others.
“You can’t fill those shoes,” Wolf said. “I mean, that is how he was raised. And you know, when you work with somebody that many years (his departure) it’s just different.”
“Training is probably my biggest thing. I liked it,” Thompson said. “I was a firm believer that these old guys need to show up and be in training. You gotta be persistent about it because these little guys are looking up to you. And they’re looking and seeing what you’re doing. You can’t be good enough to the new ones.”
In his departure, Thompson has nothing but praise for the Bluffton Fire Department and the current team working there. The friendships he’s built and the people he helped mentor still carry the torch he helped spark.
“The group that I’m working with now, probably are some of the best that I’ve worked with,” Thompson said. “They’re more receptive to new people. We have always had a good group of guys… they were workers and they always had your back.”
jonathan@news-banner.com
