After exactly 42 years of service, WPFD Station Chief Tubb to retire
The Mitchell Advocate
Unlike most children, Jim Tubb had no desire to be a firefighter. Who knew that for more than two-thirds of his life, he would be one?
Tubb, the 65-year-old Mitchell station chief of the West Perth Fire Department, will officially retire July 31, ending exactly 42 years of service to both the Mitchell and West Perth fire departments after starting Aug. 1, 1981.
“I’ll miss working with the guys the most,” Tubb said prior to his final fire practice that was, fittingly enough, interrupted by a fire call, “but it’ll certainly open up some spare time, that’s for sure.”
Tubb just said it was time, especially after hitting that “magic” number of 65 this past January. He asked Perth East/West Perth fire Chief Bill Hunter if he could stay until the end of July, putting a bow on his career.
Hunter, who has worked with Tubb in his capacity for almost a decade, had no problem with that decision, calling his colleague an experienced, honourable and key part of the chemistry that prevails in the West Perth station.
“The big thing is his personality. He’s able to talk to people along with good leadership skills,” Hunter said. “There’s 27 people in that station, and it’s 27 very different people, and he needs to be able to relate to each and every one of them, and he does a great job.”
Hunter also pointed out that Tubb is one of the rare firefighters in the province to hit 40 years of service, joining just over 1,070 others who have reached the same milestone.
“In the old days 40, 50 years of service was common for volunteer fire departments but, lately, we’re not seeing that,” the chief said. “For someone to get 42-years of service, it’s not a normal thing anymore and I don’t think you’re going to see it much in the future.”
Tubb was working with McNaught Electric when he heard the Mitchell Fire Department was looking for three new members. His brother Stephen was already a firefighter, as was McNaught colleague Bill Vosper. Both encouraged Tubb to apply, so he did and officially began along with Jim Collins and Bob Binning. He remained a firefighter until he was promoted to captain in 2003. After Hunter was hired to oversee the West Perth department after joining Perth East’s fire department, he restructured the Mitchell hierarchy to coincide with the three stations in the neighbouring municipality. On June 1, 2014, Tubb was officially named station chief and, for Hunter, there was no other choice.
“You couldn’t have asked for a better person to step into that role,” he said.
The current four captains of the West Perth Fire Department echoed Hunter’s view. All of them lauded Tubb for his knowledge, his sense of humour and a warm personaluty that connects them all.
“He had the unenviable task of leading us through a period of uncertainty as we began the shared services agreement with Perth East while also losing a number of experienced firefighters to retirement,” said Capt. Mike Montgomery. “His leadership has helped build and grow the incredible group of firefighters who currently serve West Perth.”
Montgomery said he appreciated and respected how Tubb allowed the department to “change, evolve and improve” during his tenure.
“From the start, he has always allowed his officers and firefighters to bring new ideas and suggestions forward, allowing us to incorporate new ways to better serve our community,” Montgomery said. “Rather than living by the mentality ‘that’s the way we’ve always done it’, he has helped create a culture of respecting tradition while also moving forward.”
One of the relatively new initiatives that has helped the current roster of firefighters, the peer support program, was backed wholeheartedly by Hunter and Tubb after being suggested by chaplain William Ney and Montgomery. The program has helped local firefighters deal with stressful situations both on the job and at home.
“I felt that was a high mark … and it’s become one of the most positive programs I’ve been a part of here in West Perth,” Ney said. “Jim always cares for the safety and welfare of every firefighter. He’s able to pick out which ones might be under stress and need help.
“His friendly demeanour, plus that good personal relationship with the (West Perth Fire Department), is a winning combination,” he added. “He’s just an all-around good guy.”
Captains Rob Lealess and Cody Feltz wanted to note Tubb’s dedication to the job.
“He truly has set the bar on what it takes to be a volunteer firefighter,” said Lealess, adding he often noticed Tubb’s vehicle at the station on weekends while the captain caught up on paperwork. “I can’t remember a call where he wasn’t the last guy to leave the hall.
“He has a difficult job at the best of times but, in my opinion, has handled it with class and dignity.”
Lealess said he remembered Tubb spending most of the night at the municipal administration building last Christmas Eve to help people who were stranded in town during a blizzard.
“West Perth has been very fortunate to have had Jim on the department for 42 very dedicated years. His humour, leadership, and honesty will be greatly missed and never replaced,” Lealess said.
Feltz said Tubb’s fellow firefighter often joked the captain was “watching” the fire hall from his living room.
“If he saw the lights come on, he just had to come see what was going on,” added Feltz since Tubb and his family, wife Faye and children Lisa, Jim and Jenny, didn’t live too far away.
“I’ll miss his humour the most around the fire hall. We shared a lot of laughs over my 12 years, sometimes when we needed the laugh the most.”
Capt. Rick Cook had the opportunity to work with Tubb at both the West Perth department and away from it, calling his friend a “no BS kind of guy.”
“He wore his heart on his sleeve and always made sure after a call everyone was OK with a text or call the next morning. … He was also a guy that embraced change but did not like it and, over the 42 years of service, he would have experienced a ton of change.”
Tubb said he’s always enjoyed the camaraderie but also the satisfaction of giving back to the community he’s always called home.
“This is our home … and we just do our job,” he said simply.
Hunted described that sense of “ownership” as the “beauty of small-town fire departments.”
“Yes, he’s the station chief, but he’s also a taxpayer and he’s got a vested interest in the fire department and everyone in that building,” Hunter said.
Over his tenure, Tubb said there have been a lot of memorable fire calls, alluding to the high school fire in the early ‘90s, what is known as the shoe factory fire a few years later, and the Dollar Store blaze downtown just over a decade ago. He said he also remembers lot of tragic and trauma-filled incidents that involved people he knew as a lifelong resident of the community. One positive memory, though, is being able to follow through with the construction of the new fire station in 2020.
Cook agreed.
“Seeing Jim walk through the new hall before we moved into it was memorable. All he could say was ‘hot damn, this is amazing,’” Cook said. “He was like a new firefighter walking into a hall for the first time.”
The internal posting for Tubb’s replacement as station chief in Mitchell also closes at the end of the month, with his successor having big shoes to fill. He does plan to stick around and help with the West Perth Fire Department community breakfasts and their open houses, if asked, and also continue to operate his business, Tubb Electric.
“It’s impossible to replace his 42 years of experience so, as a captain, I’ll miss having that knowledge to draw from during an incident but, of course, most of all we’ll just miss Jim Tubb, having him around the fire station and at our calls,” Montgomery said. “For all he has led us through, taught and expected of us, we’ve also shared a million laughs – even some at his expense – which is always good medicine in coping with the things we have to see and do.
“We’ll best honour his 42 years of dedicated service by doing the only thing he’d really want us to do – be ready to go for the next time the whistle blows.”