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Tomball Volunteer Fire Department celebrates 75 years
  
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By ANNA SCHUMANN
The picture is torn and faded; the date on the back is indecipherable; but the faces, now gone, are much like those who stand in their places 75 years later.
Since 1934, the City of Tomball has had an organized group of people who have dedicated their lives and service to protecting citizens as members of the Tomball Volunteer Fire Department. What began as a group of men carrying hose in the 1930s led to a group of only women fighting fires during World War II and has now become a department of nearly 80 paid and volunteer male and female employees.
Gloria Gammon was one of three female firefighters when she joined the department in 1975, and was the only female in her class at Texas A&M. Upon retiring from the department after 26 years of service, she had seen many changes and created decades of memories, both good and bittersweet.
The first fire station on South Walnut and Market streets, where the county tax assessor’s office is now, housed both city hall and the fire department for years. In 1978, work began on fire station two on Main Street. The volunteer fire department raised funds to construct the building and members of the department built the station brick by brick.
On April 27, 1979, Steven Snyder, nephew of long-time fire chief Bill Snyder, was killed in the line of duty in an arson fire. He was 18. The second fire station, completed in 1980, was dedicated to Snyder’s memory.
“The worst part of it was, the guy who set the fire, intentionally, only served 18 months in prison,” Gammon recalled.
In 75 years, Snyder has been the only Tomball firefighter to be killed in the line of duty.
Some of Gammon’s memories, she said, are funny now because of unfortunate timing.
“Every year we’d have an awards banquet and we’d get all dressed up,” she said. “The guys would be in suits and we’d be in dresses. One year, we dropped a big fire during the banquet. We were the best-dressed fire-fighting crew you’d ever seen.”
In the 34 years since she joined the department, the fondest memories she has are not of specific events, but of the people.
“These are memories of people I went to school with for years and years,” she said. “These are memories of fights: an instructor refused to let me get on the nozzle one time because I’m female. Well my crew refused to do the drill for him because if I couldn’t do it, they wouldn’t do it.”
Though many changes have taken place before her eyes, one thing has remained constant: family.
Her husband Leo served as Tomball’s fire marshal and fire chief. Her daughter, Dena, was a member of the fire department and her son Trae serves as the department’s assistant chief of volunteer operations. Gloria Gammon said even when Trae was a baby, he would wake up to his dad’s pager going off and wait for him to come home from a night of fighting fire before he would go back to sleep.
“At one time I wondered if I did my kids right by raising them at the department, but all I can do is look at them now and know I did,” she said. “The fire service is a family and I was glad my kids had that type of contact with people.”
Trae Gammon said his young children already love sirens. His mother said she thinks for a lot of children who grow up in the department, joining is something they reach for and is part of the continuity that keeps the department strong.
Gloria Gammon, who said she had a role in planning the celebration for the department’s 50th anniversary in 1984, said the 75-year milestone is almost unimaginable.
“The department has been active for 75 years in constant service for the city, and it’s unbelievable how far the department has come,” she said.
When she joined the department in 1975, firefighters had to buy their own gear, raise funds to buy trucks, and the department had an operating budget of $3,000.
She joined the department to discover what drew her husband to the job and made him so committed to the service. What she found out was that the reasons were as different as the people involved.
“For some of the younger ones, it’s the woo-woo. For some of the others, it’s the camaraderie, the relationship they have with each other,” she said. “For people like Leo, he felt it was how he could serve the community the most. These firefighters come from all walks of life during the day and for some, this is their way to serve. For some, it’s the adrenaline rush. For people like Trae, they just can’t get away from serving others.”
Now, 75 years after the formation of the department, Fire Chief Randy Parr said the future of the department is very bright. A mayoral proclamation issued at the Jan. 5 city council meeting declared 2009 to be the year of the Tomball Volunteer Fire Department.
Though the department has faced staffing challenges and is always seeking more volunteer firefighters, Parr said, programs the department has established to meet the needs of the community have met with a significant degree of success.
“The folks we have are committed to serving our community,” he said. “The relationships we have with neighboring organizations, which are paramount to the success of our efforts, are very good.”
Parr, who has been chief of the department since March 2004, said several programs have been established to involve the community, including the Community Emergency Response Team and the fire corps. He said there has been discussion of starting a women’s auxiliary group in the future.
Parr said the fire department and the support it has received from the community and city in 75 years means a lot to the community now.
“That’s 75 years of neighbor helping neighbor in times of need,” he said. “It’s a great endeavor of sacrifice of family time and a great time of family.”
Since 1934, the City of Tomball has had an organized group of people who have dedicated their lives and service to protecting citizens as members of the Tomball Volunteer Fire Department. What began as a group of men carrying hose in the 1930s led to a group of only women fighting fires during World War II and has now become a department of nearly 80 paid and volunteer male and female employees.
Gloria Gammon was one of three female firefighters when she joined the department in 1975, and was the only female in her class at Texas A&M. Upon retiring from the department after 26 years of service, she had seen many changes and created decades of memories, both good and bittersweet.
The first fire station on South Walnut and Market streets, where the county tax assessor’s office is now, housed both city hall and the fire department for years. In 1978, work began on fire station two on Main Street. The volunteer fire department raised funds to construct the building and members of the department built the station brick by brick.
On April 27, 1979, Steven Snyder, nephew of long-time fire chief Bill Snyder, was killed in the line of duty in an arson fire. He was 18. The second fire station, completed in 1980, was dedicated to Snyder’s memory.
“The worst part of it was, the guy who set the fire, intentionally, only served 18 months in prison,” Gammon recalled.
In 75 years, Snyder has been the only Tomball firefighter to be killed in the line of duty.
Some of Gammon’s memories, she said, are funny now because of unfortunate timing.
“Every year we’d have an awards banquet and we’d get all dressed up,” she said. “The guys would be in suits and we’d be in dresses. One year, we dropped a big fire during the banquet. We were the best-dressed fire-fighting crew you’d ever seen.”
In the 34 years since she joined the department, the fondest memories she has are not of specific events, but of the people.
“These are memories of people I went to school with for years and years,” she said. “These are memories of fights: an instructor refused to let me get on the nozzle one time because I’m female. Well my crew refused to do the drill for him because if I couldn’t do it, they wouldn’t do it.”
Though many changes have taken place before her eyes, one thing has remained constant: family.
Her husband Leo served as Tomball’s fire marshal and fire chief. Her daughter, Dena, was a member of the fire department and her son Trae serves as the department’s assistant chief of volunteer operations. Gloria Gammon said even when Trae was a baby, he would wake up to his dad’s pager going off and wait for him to come home from a night of fighting fire before he would go back to sleep.
“At one time I wondered if I did my kids right by raising them at the department, but all I can do is look at them now and know I did,” she said. “The fire service is a family and I was glad my kids had that type of contact with people.”
Trae Gammon said his young children already love sirens. His mother said she thinks for a lot of children who grow up in the department, joining is something they reach for and is part of the continuity that keeps the department strong.
Gloria Gammon, who said she had a role in planning the celebration for the department’s 50th anniversary in 1984, said the 75-year milestone is almost unimaginable.
“The department has been active for 75 years in constant service for the city, and it’s unbelievable how far the department has come,” she said.
When she joined the department in 1975, firefighters had to buy their own gear, raise funds to buy trucks, and the department had an operating budget of $3,000.
She joined the department to discover what drew her husband to the job and made him so committed to the service. What she found out was that the reasons were as different as the people involved.
“For some of the younger ones, it’s the woo-woo. For some of the others, it’s the camaraderie, the relationship they have with each other,” she said. “For people like Leo, he felt it was how he could serve the community the most. These firefighters come from all walks of life during the day and for some, this is their way to serve. For some, it’s the adrenaline rush. For people like Trae, they just can’t get away from serving others.”
Now, 75 years after the formation of the department, Fire Chief Randy Parr said the future of the department is very bright. A mayoral proclamation issued at the Jan. 5 city council meeting declared 2009 to be the year of the Tomball Volunteer Fire Department.
Though the department has faced staffing challenges and is always seeking more volunteer firefighters, Parr said, programs the department has established to meet the needs of the community have met with a significant degree of success.
“The folks we have are committed to serving our community,” he said. “The relationships we have with neighboring organizations, which are paramount to the success of our efforts, are very good.”
Parr, who has been chief of the department since March 2004, said several programs have been established to involve the community, including the Community Emergency Response Team and the fire corps. He said there has been discussion of starting a women’s auxiliary group in the future.
Parr said the fire department and the support it has received from the community and city in 75 years means a lot to the community now.
“That’s 75 years of neighbor helping neighbor in times of need,” he said. “It’s a great endeavor of sacrifice of family time and a great time of family.”
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