Euless battalion chief switches tools for a firefighting career

As a youngster, John O’Brien didn’t dream of becoming a firefighter.

Thirty-five years ago, O’Brien was happy being a mechanic in the city’s fleet department, tinkering with all the city vehicles from police cars to fire trucks.

But a city official tipped him to another job.

“They were having tests for firefighters and she told me I should give it a try,” O’Brien said. “I passed it, and I’ve never regretted taking that test.”

This year, the 53-year-old Arlington resident will complete his 34rd year with the Euless Fire Department, the last 18 years as battalion chief.

“I wasn’t that kid that grew up wanting to be a firefighter,” O’Brien said, pointing out now that that he couldn’t estimate the number of fires or emergency medical calls he has been on since he started in the fire department in September 1981.

In 1981, Euless had just two fire stations and no ambulance service.

Times have changed. The city now has three fire stations and the fire department operates its own ambulance service, accounting for a majority of the calls that the firefighters make each year. In 2013, firefighters made 4,375 service calls, paramedics/firefighters responded to 3,076 medical calls and fought 156 fires in the city.

“From day one, it has been very interesting to me,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien and the fire department were a perfect match. Within five years after he was hired, O’Brien was a driver, then promoted to lieutenant and later captain. By 1996, fire officials named him as battalion chief.

O’Brien has seen the changes in equipment and fire trucks through the years, but for him, the medical service calls have been the biggest change in his firefighting career..

“We went from a couple of paramedics on the department to all paramedics,” O’Brien said. “And statistics show that the emergency medical calls make up the majority of our calls now in this city.”

O’Brien should know Euless — he grew up in the city and attended Trinity High School, graduating in 1980.

“He has held every shift position in the Euless Fire Department allowing him to have a unique perspective on how the job gets done,” said Fire Chief Wes Rhodes, who has been head of the department since 2011. “And what it takes to get the job done.”

The fire chief noted that O’Brien’s experience has been a resource for the department and adjacent fire units.

“John O’Brien is extremely intelligent and has a high attention to detail,” Rhodes said. “He is often asked to work on projects that require research or are very technical. John takes care of his personnel and looks out for what is best for the department and the community.”

Domingo Ramirez Jr., 817-390-7763

This story was originally published February 17, 2015 at 8:15 AM with the headline "Euless battalion chief switches tools for a firefighting career."