'Irreplaceable' South Bend Assistant Fire Chief retires after 22 years
SOUTH BEND — After 22 years, South Bend Fire Department Assistant Chief of Fire Prevention Gerard Ellis enters a new phase in his life: retirement.
South Bend firefighters and residents extended best wishes to Ellis at his retirement party at Central Station on Friday, March 8, calling him "irreplaceable."
“It's very bittersweet. I don't think anyone can replace him and do what he has done," South Bend resident Cindy Streich said. She knew Ellis as someone who fulfilled many roles in the community, listing him as someone involved in the kids' Christmas program, fire safety, working with autistic children and the 911 memorial.
“He's done so much over the years,” she said. “I hope they're training someone to take over.”
For Ellis, who said he's been planning his retirement for over a year, his favorite memory in the department was a small decision on his part that changed lives in the aftermath.
He and his team were nearing the end of installing smoke alarms one day and instead of heading back to Central Station, they decided to visit one more home. He remembered stopping at the home of an older lady who had dependent older adults and a granddaughter living with her, he said. They installed a smoke alarm in her home and left. Later, that year, during Thanksgiving, that home had a fire, he said. Tragically, Ellis said, the older adults died, but the grandmother and granddaughter were able to escape.
“When I look at what we do, that memory sticks with me,” he said. “If we would have decided, hey let's go back, then who knows what would have come from that day."
As for what's next, Ellis said he's not planning much for a while. He hopes to do a couple home projects, concentrate on himself and see what comes his way.
South Bend Fire Chief Carl Buchanon and Mayor James Mueller wished Ellis well in his next endeavors, but this week, they'll get to work on finding Ellis' replacement.
“We're losing a good one, for sure,” Mueller said on Friday. “We wish him well in retirement and we've got big shoes to fill. We're celebrating all he's done for South Bend here today, and next week we'll get to work on figuring out how to move forward and who's next to fill this important role.”
Buchanon said they're currently in the process of taking applications.
“I can get another person to replace that position, but you can't replace that individual," he said, calling Ellis "a great representative of the fire department and a great firefighter."
“I don't think he's done yet, you'll see him somewhere," Buchanon said. "He's too young for him to stop.”