BY TRACY LEE TATE
Times Staff Writer
LAKE BUTLER — About six months ago a new fire coordinator/chief was hired to oversee the Union County Fire Department and he has been working hard to improved equipment and facility maintenance and fire service in the county.
Paul McDavid has had a long carrier as a firefighting professional. He said that, when he was in high school, he had his heart set on becoming a game warden. That was until a friend, who was a volunteer at Heilbronn Springs, asked him if he wanted to go to a class. By the end of the class, he was hooked. His first paid job was with the city of Ocala when he was 19.
In the past 34 years McDavid has worked in Jacksonville (20 of those years), Brooker, LaCrosse Suwannee County and, most recently, Taylor County. He was hired, in part, because his situation in Taylor County was very similar to the one in Union County – one paid firefighter and several volunteers.
“I was familiar with him and his work and because of his role in Taylor County I thought he was perfect for this job,” said EMS Director Toby Witt. “Paul is a hard worker and wears many hats. He can function as a plumber, an electrician and a mechanic. A person with these skills is necessary as we do not have the resources of a large county for work that needs to be done, so we needed someone to fill many rolls.”
McDavid is replacing previous Chief Mark Hughes, who continues to work part time for Union County Emergency Management and as a paramedic out-of-county.
Since taking the job, McDavid said he had all the fleet running and operational (for the first time in a long time) and the department is providing round the clock coverage, with one paid firefighter and McDavid covering the calls 24/7. He is also recruiting more volunteers and said the department is improving greatly and running smoothly.
McDavid said he just “sort of fell into” the administrative end of the business when he served for three years as chief in LaCrosse. Before ever becoming a chief, however, McDavid said he had gone through hundreds of hours of training. He has earned his state fire officer certification and certifications as a fire safety officer and a health and safety officer. His years of experience also make him able to do his job.
“I learned from many chiefs, some good, some not so good,” McDavid said. “Sometimes you learn what to do and sometimes what not to do, but it makes you better either way.”
Now, in his time off, McDavid teaches at a fire training academy, passing on the knowledge he has accumulated over the years.
McDavid is dedicated to his role in protecting the community and expects the same from his men.
“My responsibility is to make sure to be honest with the public about our capability,” McDavid said. “We are below adequate right now – we have 10 good volunteers, but only half are usually available when we need them. We need to provide adequate or better, and I am working on getting us there. Until then we will just cross our fingers and call mutual aid. I am not going to try and sell people a lemonade stand that sells urine.”
McDavid said the department has good safety gear and all the apparatus are in running condition, but he is disappointed that there are no ongoing fire inspections or fire safety programs. But he is pleased that the department will soon have three paid firefighters and several well-trained volunteers. Right now, he said he and the staff were keeping busy, fixing the things that can be fixed, in house. He understands the budget constraints he faces in the department and is working to stay between the lines.
“This is a good little place,” McDavid said. “If I was going to move from Bradford County this is where I would go. There are a lot of good people here and a good community. These are the sort of people that it is a pleasure to serve.”
