Port Sanilac firefighter celebrating nearly 60 years of service

A previous version of this story stated the wrong address for the Port Sanilac Fire Department. 

Port Sanilac Assistant Fire Chief Donald Thomas has been around for a while.

Thomas will mark 59 years in the fire service, 55 of which have been with Port Sanilac, this July.

"Somebody has to do it," Thomas said. "And it's fun. It's fun, really, I enjoy it."

The fire department will celebrate Thomas' years of service with a ceremony from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 12 at the Port Sanilac Fire Department, 56 North Ridge St. Everyone is welcome, and food will be provided.

Now 78, Thomas got his start in the fire service at 20 years old with the Deckerville Fire Department in 1963. The fire service was part of his blood. His father volunteered as a firefighter in the Deckerville Fire Department, while his two brothers also served in fire departments in the Thumb.

In 1967, Thomas moved to Port Sanilac to follow his wife, Diana, and joined the Port Sanilac Fire Department.

His love for helping people and the department itself fuels Thomas' desire to stay in the job. He said it's reassuring for people to see a familiar face when they respond to calls, especially in a small community.

"It's just nice to help people," Thomas said. "When you go out there and somebody needs helps, and you help them it just feels good."

He has seen a lot of change in nearly 60 years. When he joined the Port Sanilac Fire Department in 1967, the department had a 1956 Ford rescue truck and a 1948 Chevrolet bumper in a tiny two-car garage, he said. Now, the department has a garage large enough to hold five vehicles, a UTV, uniforms and other equipment.

Thomas stays physically fit with the help of continuous state-mandated training, another component of the fire service that has grown from the days that new recruits learned how to respond to calls on the job.

Fire Chief Doug Moran said Thomas has one of the highest participation rates among the department's paid-on-call roster. Of the 118 calls the department has responded to this year, Thomas has responded to 87, or about 74%, Moran said Tuesday.

Moran said Thomas' dedication, as well as depth and breadth of knowledge after so many years in the service, is unmatched.

"There is so much knowledge there that it's nice that you want to pass it on to some of us younger guys and pass it on to the new guys," Moran said, talking to Thomas. "It's a lot of experience there."

Thomas has no immediate plans to retire from the fire service. When asked when he will retire, he said, "When it's not fun anymore."

Contact Laura Fitzgerald at (810) 941-7072 or lfitzgeral@gannett.com. 

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Port Sanilac man has served in fire departments for nearly 60 years