The Job
Comes First
When Bates arrived for work at the SHFD
in 1986, he had never worked on a fire
truck or with a water pump. “I had to
figure it out. But an engine is an engine
and a motor is a motor, and they all had to
be ready to go.”
He attended several courses at the
Fire Academy in Reynoldsburg, Ohio,
but is primarily self-taught – and that
education has continued. Trucks that
once had manual transmissions and no
air conditioning are now electric, and
everything is computerized. One of Bates’
first responsibilities involved merging the
frame and wheels from a 1986 pumper
truck with the mechanical equipment from
a 1967 pumper to create a new vehicle.
“It went from an all-manual
transmission to automatic. No one liked it,
but it lasted until it was retired in the early
2000s,” he says.
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Bates continues to do all the repair
analysis and work himself. His universe
includes the fire engines and everything they
entail, from ladders to pumps, along with
other emergency vehicles. His fleet includes
a ladder truck, a pumper truck, a reserve
pumper, a command vehicle, three rescue
vehicles, an EMS chase vehicle, a technical
rescue truck, and several staff vehicles.
Since 2010, when he transitioned to
part-time, Bates has been working three days
a week. Chief Sweeney says he provides more
than full-time service because of how quickly
he identifies problems and repairs them,
“adding immense value to the department.”
Emergency jobs don’t conform to any
schedule, so Bates doesn’t either. One Sunday
in July, the ladder truck sprang an oil leak.
Bates headed to Station #1 and fixed it within
hours. He also has repaired ambulances that
have broken down at University and Hillcrest
hospitals. And he goes on major calls, such as
the July 2018 Fernway School fire, to ensure
that trucks are running well and equipment
continues to function. “The job comes first,”
he says. “That’s how I was raised.”
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