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With A Fire In The Belly

Photo by Julie Busch/staff

Volunteer firefighter with Temple Terrace Fire Station No. 1 Kenny Kelley, 19, climbs a truck ladder during a training drill Monday.

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By SARAH ROTHWELL, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 17, 2007

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TEMPLE TERRACE - From the base of a red firetruck, a ladder reaches 75 feet into the air. Without hesitation, volunteer firefighter Kenny Kelley, 19, begins to climb. He wears 75 pounds of gear but doesn't slow down. He reaches his destination, then returns to the ground, where another volunteer, Don Paulk, 40, awaits his turn.

'You ready to go?' the division fire chief asks.

'Yes, sir,' Paulk replies, stepping onto the ladder.

'It was fun,' Kelley says with a smile.

It's a typical Monday night for the Temple Terrace Fire Department's reserve crew. The volunteer firefighters train from 7 to 10 p.m. Mondays. They practice everything from ladder climbs and hose pulls to rescue work. They receive the same training and perform the same duties as the full-time, paid firefighters. They must clock 16 training hours and 20 working hours per month.

The department began as a volunteer organization 50 years ago. Today, there are 36 paid firefighters and eight volunteers. Division Chief Phillip Armiger credits the crews' success to a good working relationship.

'Our volunteers work right alongside the paid crew,' Armiger said. 'We're a small department, so we've been able to keep it close-knit. Everybody works well together.'

According to Armiger, there are several reasons the Temple Terrace Fire Department has kept the reserve program up and running for so long. In addition to providing extra manpower, the program serves as a recruitment tool. The turnover rate for volunteers is high, not because participants quit, but because they turn professional. Most are enrolled a firefighting academy, working to earn the required state firefighting and emergency medical technician licensing.

Kelley, who joined the reserves this month, wants to make firefighting a career. As a child, he and his family attended the department's annual open houses, at which children are invited to meet firefighters and see the equipment up close. Kelley was instantly impressed.

'I thought it was so cool,' he said. 'There were these big guys, the superheroes of the world. I knew that's what I wanted to be when I grew up.'

After graduating from Tampa Bay Technical High School, Kelley enrolled in the firefighting academy at Hillsborough Community College's Ybor City campus. He graduated from the program and is state-certified. Soon, he will start EMT school. He considers the reserve program added training.

'Being a volunteer lets me know what I'm going to be doing on the job,' Kelley said. 'I get to put my skills to use.'

Armiger began his career as a volunteer. He remembers fighting brush fires in the 1980s. Once, he was assigned to stand at the top of the 75-foot ladder and report what he saw back to the ground. The experience prompted him to pursue a lifetime career in the field.

'I'd never done anything that awesome,' he said. 'The fire was going, the smoke was going, and the aerials were all around.'

When Armiger interviews volunteers, he looks for men and women with a passion for adventure.

'This volunteering is an opportunity to experience the job firsthand,' he said. 'When you get out there, you face things you never thought you'd see in your life. You either say: 'This is for me' or 'This is not for me.' '

Many people sign up to volunteer after years of daydreaming about the job.

Paulk recently left a career in the business world to attend the fire academy at HCC. The training instantly cured him of a fear of heights. Now, he's ready to save lives.

'It's something I always wanted to do, but I got caught in the money trap for a while,' he said. 'Now, I'm doing this. This is my opportunity to go forward.'

Russ Simpson, 43, just returned to the reserves. He was a volunteer from 1993 to 1997 but left to focus on his career in real estate. A passion for helping others brought him back to the department and inspired him to enroll in the fire academy.

'I missed the heck out of it,' he said. 'I want to do this.'

Still, not all volunteers want to become paid firefighters. Patrick Bailey, 40, joined the department's reserves in 1989. He considered pursuing it full time but instead opted to continue running his family's landscaping business. After 18 years as a volunteer, he's now an officer in the reserve program.

He doesn't miss the check.

'That's not what it's about,' he said. 'We're here to lend a helping hand wherever it's needed.'

Capt. Robert Sapp considers Bailey and the other volunteers an asset to the department. He recently came onboard to help train the reserves. He hopes to help those interested find permanent work in the Tampa area and to help men like Bailey fine-tune their skills.

'These are really great guys,' he said. 'They work hand in hand with us. They become good friends. I want to train them and take care of them.'

For firefighters, training never ends. Reserves learn different skills every week. If they remain in the program; they can assume higher-ranking positions. Still, they never stop practicing. New technology means there's always something to learn, Armiger said.

After completing his ladder training exercise, Paulk grinned.

'It was awesome,' he said, sweat pouring from his brow. 'That's the biggest rush I've ever had. This is what it's about fighting fire, heights ...'

He paused to take a breath.

'Lights and sirens, man,' Kelley said, finishing the sentiment. 'Lights and sirens.'

For information about the Temple Terrace Fire Department reserve program, call (813) 989-7121.

Sarah Rothwell can be reached at (813) 865-4845 or srothwell @tampatrib.com.

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