Troy Black
February 6, 2006
Moab Fire Chief Corky Brewer spoke at the funeral of Retired Moab Fire Chief Troy Black. The following are Chief Brewer’s notes for that tribute:
I was asked by the family to say a few words about Troy as the Moab Fire Chief. I am deeply honored to do this. Troy became Chief Troy Black in 1974. He was the first paid chief in the Moab Fire Department. He took on this position when the department was struggling. Some of the volunteers, not all, didn’t see the necessity to train or keep the equipment in good working order. Don’t get me wrong; the group of volunteers at that time was just as dedicated to service as the volunteers of today (that’s why they pushed for this position). They just lacked direction. Troy was just the person to set that direction, and that he did. He worked hard to create training that would better serve the department and the community. He acquired new equipment. He wrote procedures. Most importantly, he recruited volunteers. It wasn’t easy for Troy. He had to convince volunteers, politicians, and the community that his direction was the right way. I think the proof of that is all around you today. I joined the department in 1979 and found a very professional department. Amazingly, Troy and others had transformed the department, in a few short years, into a fire department that could handle all kinds of emergencies and were respected in the community and by fire departments across the state. I shortly found out that the gruff exterior was very thin and Troy was compassionate and caring. That’s not to say he was always polite and nice. You definitely knew when you did something wrong. Troy was a good leader. He could, somehow, get a very diverse group of people to work as a team. Troy and the people around him created a good, if not great, department. More importantly, they created a framework for future generations. We sometimes forget what Troy, as the leader, created. We look at the fire service today, especially after 9/11, and talk about how different we are. That is far from the truth. I have been Chief since Troy retired in 1989. I look around and see different faces, different equipment than in the 70s and 80s. The framework that was engineered under Troy’s leadership, however, is still here. Training is very similar. The procedures haven’t changed much. I became Troy’s Assistant Chief in the late 1980s. The late 80s were a difficult time for Troy, but he never gave up. I know he had the backing of his volunteers and if Troy had left on bad terms the department would have suffered greatly. Troy decided to retire in 1989. The last thing Troy told me as I became the new Chief was “Never make all of your volunteers mad at the same time or you’ll be fighting fires by yourself.” Troy also told me “Don’t let those guys talk you into buying a ladder truck.” Several years later, those guys did talk me into it. I was afraid to tell Troy. When I finally got the courage to do so, he said, “It’s about time.”
We had a bad fire one time with a report of a person trapped inside. Troy and Robert Irish went into the inferno. They weren’t successful with the rescue. I remember Robert showing me his melted helmet. Troy never said a word about the attempted rescue. A few weeks later, I saw Troy’s melted helmet. It’s a wonder those two made it out. That’s the kind of person Troy was. At the Doxol fire, my brother, Curt, and I were helping an elderly couple who were badly burned. We looked around and saw that we were the only people in the entire area. The fire was pretty scary. We laid down with the elderly couple and I think we prayed. Troy noticed we were not with everyone else. He came back for us. Troy always knew where all his people were on all the emergencies. We all knew that if we got in trouble Troy would be there for us. Troy made a difference in people’s lives and he liked to see his guys get ahead. He was thrilled when one of his volunteers went to work for a paid department. He was very pleased when someone would get a job and being on the fire department helped that. Troy liked kids. He had a special place in his heart for two young boys that moved to town and visited the fire department. When Joe and Robert Walker first moved to Moab, Troy was the first person they met. They hung out at the fire station and Troy took them under his wing. They went on to be very big parts of the department. Robert was a Fire Captain when he died in a motorcycle crash and Joe is still a member and a Captain. It is obvious, evidenced by the number of retired and former members here today, that the people Troy came into contact with thought a lot of him. After Troy retired, he would come by the station and see how his fire department was doing. Troy wouldn’t say much about changes that were made, but he definitely told you if he didn’t approve. Fortunately, that wasn’t often. You always knew where you stood with Troy. And that was a good thing. Troy will not be forgotten. His leadership and friendship will be sorely missed.
Thank you for allowing me this time for expressing my great admiration and respect for Retired Moab Fire Chief Troy Black.
photos courtesy of Steve White