TOUGH AND TENDER
First responder is fearless when fighting fires, cautious when it comes to son with weakened immune system
Sturdy and burly, Byron Keilers owns an ideal build for a firefighter.
“Byron’s a big guy, the bodybuilder type,” says his wife, Ashley. “If you were in a burning building, you would want someone like Byron to rescue you. It’s the perfect job for him.”
He’s fearless when helping people in peril, she says.
But Byron, in his 26th year with the Houston Fire Department, also owns the tenderest of approaches with the couple’s youngest of three sons, 9-year-old Weston.
“He has periodic fever syndrome, when the immune system attacks his body, believing it’s invasive,” Byron says of Weston’s ongoing battle against a rare genetic disorder that started with inexplicable fevers when he was 5 weeks old.
Weston was taught to be vigilant in all facets of his life long before the current global pandemic, but the crisis has heightened the Keilers’ awareness of protecting Weston.
“It’s been stressful,” Byron says. “I don’t want to catch the virus and bring it home to our little one — I don’t want to expose him to it.”
COVID-19 has drastically changed Byron’s post-work routine over the past months.
“When I get home, I take off my shoes and go through the garage,” Byron says. “I take off my clothes, throw them in the washing machine and immediately head for the shower to try and get as clean as possible. So hopefully I don’t bring anything unwanted into the house with me.”
Co-workers at HFD’s Station 71 on Space Center Boulevard, where Byron works long shifts, wear masks throughout the day per department requirement, which Ashley says she appreciates.
“If you’ve ever worn one out in the heat or for an extended time, you know that’s a hard thing,” she says. “Byron takes it very seriously, and we wish people who won’t wear masks out in public could understand it’s not just about them, it’s also about those with weakened immune systems.
“They know people over 65 are more at risk, and so are those with immune suppression. But they forget there are kids who also fit into that category. You perceive things a lot differently when someone in your family is affected like that.”
Byron, 46, is the son of former firefighter Wendell Keilers, who retired from HFD five years ago. When Byron was attending San Jacinto College in the early 1990s and in search of a career, his father suggested giving firefighting a try. Byron joined HFD at age 20 and hasn’t glanced back.
“I’ve never really done anything else,” he says. “When you help somebody out at what might be their worst time, when their house is being destroyed by a fire or they’ve been in a bad car wreck, you try to get a little normalcy back for them.”
Byron and Ashley, high school sweethearts at Sam Rayburn High in Pasadena, married in 1997. They’ve remained in their hometown, raising the three boys, including 18-year-old Cameron and 10-year-old Brayden.
Ashley is an elementary school teacher, and the Keilers have spent their adult lives serving others — young, old and in between.
“Byron goes into burning buildings,” Ashley says of her husband’s bravado, “when everyone else is running out.”
Ashley’s mother, Mary Lou Ferrill of Friendswood, not only admires her son-in-law’s work in the public arena, but also his doting attention to detail with his family — after he’s removed his boots from a 24-hour shift.
“He’s on the front lines and right now, like everyone else, learning as they go with this virus. But when he’s home, he’s very mindful of tending to his children,” Ferrill says. “And if Weston has a flareup or requires care, Byron is right there for him. Byron is a reserved, behindthe-scenes individual who never wants any recognition, but he’s a person you can always call on if you have a need.”
Meantime on one of those precious days off, Weston will again climb into Byron’s Ford truck and enjoy a ride to the coast, as father and son did plenty pre-pandemic.
“We love to go fishing at Galveston,” a reflective Byron says of a longtime ritual with his three boys. “But right now, Weston doesn’t ride in my truck at all.”
Byron Keilers “When you help somebody out at what might be their worst time, when their house is being destroyed by a fire or they’ve been in a bad car wreck, you try to get a little normalcy back for them.”