When Centre Wellington Fire Chief Tom Mulvey started his career as a volunteer with the Fergus Fire Department in 1993, he sifted through an array of second-hand gear to get outfitted for the job.
“I had boots that came up to my hips and a coat that came down to my knees,” he recalled.
“Now when I hire a firefighter, it costs me about $12,000 to $14,000 to outfit them with PPE.”
This is just one example of the changes he has seen in his career.
Mulvey, who has been in the chief’s position since 2021, plans to retire at the end of March, and sat down with EloraFergusToday to talk about his time with the department.
“Thirty-three years is really a drop in the bucket around here,” said Mulvey, noting he had recently presented a firefighter with a pin for 40 years of service.
But Mulvey is not interested in hanging around for another couple of years just to say he reached a certain milestone.
“I’m turning 60, so I’m eligible for a full pension at 60 years old, so it’s time,” he said, adding that the decision was not made without a lot of thinking and reflecting.
“It was an extremely difficult decision.”
Mulvey, who was born and raised in Fergus recalled a couple of moments that influenced his decision to become a firefighter.
The first happened years before he joined the department when a tornado passed through Grand Valley.
“I walked out onto my front porch and it was a very eerie day,” he said.
He then saw the fire trucks go by, responding to the emergencies created by the tornado’s destruction.
The second event came not long after that as Mulvey was playing in a local three-pitch league. A game he was playing ended abruptly when much of the opposing team, made up of volunteer firefighters, was called away to respond to a fire.
“It kind of sparked my interest,” said Mulvey.
A licensed brick and stone mason and also a licensed electrician, Mulvey began his firefighting career as a volunteer when he was working as brick layer.
Ten years later, when the job of public safety officer was created within Centre Wellington Fire Rescue, he went for it.
“I applied for that position and . . . I was lucky enough to get it,” he said.
Not long after that, he had a chance to experience what it was like to respond to a tornado from the perspective of a fire fighter when another tornado hit Belwood.
“That was a long day for us,” he said.
The tornado didn’t do a lot of building damage, but there was a lot of crop damage and damage to woodlots – something that can mean future trouble for firefighters, as downed brush dries out and raises the fire risk.
“It took all the trees down around Belwood Lodge and Camp,” Mulvey recalled.
Over the years, Mulvey estimates he logged close to 60 weeks at the Ontario Fire College.
“I had a tremendous amount of support from the chief at the time but also from my family,” he said, noting he would have to stay overnight at the college, leaving his wife home with their two kids.
In 2011, he added the district chief title to his duties, and in 2018, Mulvey was appointed deputy chief of fire prevention and public education, before ultimately being appointed as fire chief in 2021.
He has seen a wide range of calls in his time on the front line.
“When you leave on a fire call, you never know whether you’re going into the best day of your life or the worst day of your life,” he said.
It’s fair to say he’s seen both highs and lows – as well as some calls that almost seem ridiculous.
“I’ve gone on a call to a bird in a tree,” Mulvey said, describing the day someone’s pet bird got loose and the fire department was called.
“If you don’t know who to call, you call the fire department,” he said.
Another memorable day was when a child got her leg stuck in the dam in the middle of the Grand River in Fergus. Mulvey recalled multiple first responders, including himself, getting into the water to attempt to free her, and even asking the GRCA to close the dam upstream to aid the rescue operation.
It took a long time, but it ended up being a good day, when they freed her and she survived the ordeal.
“If you can help somebody in any way at all and make them have a better day than what they’re having, it’s worth the whole kit and caboodle,” Mulvey said.
But the job is also a trying one.
As a volunteer, “you’re either leaving your family or leaving your employer to come and help us,” said Mulvey.
“I can’t remember one time there was a Christmas Day we didn’t have a call,” he said.
His wedding day, 28 years ago, was one of those days.
“Just as they were about to serve dinner, the pagers went off for a field fire,” he said, noting it was an iconic moment caught on video.
He hopes in retirement he will be able to sleep better, to disengage with some of the worry that goes with the job.
Mulvey has plans to travel, with a trip to Portugal already scheduled for April, just after his retirement is official.
He and his wife, who works as a nurse for public health, also bought a travel trailer.
“We’re going to hook it up and tow it across Canada,” he said.
Beyond that, he said there could be some consulting work in his future if the opportunity arises.
“With the experience I have, things could open up to something like that, but my plan right now is to travel. And sleep,” he said.