On Jan. 8, Raymond Flannelly was officially elected as president of the Montgomery County Fire Chiefs Association. A 45-year veteran of the force, Flannelly has served the county as fire chief of Montgomery County Emergency Services District No. 9 for the last 16 years. The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
How did you first get involved with firefighting?
My family. I had two uncles who were both on the job up on the East Coast, and I was pretty much raised around the fire service. My father worked for Texaco, and we bounced around a little bit, and that’s how we ended up here in the Houston area.
What are your responsibilities as president of the Fire Chiefs Association?
Really, it’s just to keep each fire department, there’s 12 fire departments in Montgomery County, … keep them informed of what we’re doing, any future growth, training options, anything that better prepares us to assist the citizens that reside in Montgomery County or traveling through Montgomery County.
You’ve been a part of the firefighting world for around 45 years, going up to now. How’s it changed since you first started?
It’s changed tremendously, and the change is for the better. The firemen in the beginning of time didn’t worry about things like cancer or mental health, and that’s the biggest change. Take a fire coat, for example. A bunker coat that a firefighter puts on has a life expectancy of 10 years. And every year, that coat has to be tested by a third-party tester, and it has to pass inspection. Until recently, we never cared about the person wearing that coat. How messed up is that?
You know, you just expect to get back on that truck and go and go and go. Now we have things in place to protect the firefighters’ longevity. Cancer is running crazy in the fire service. There are a lot of different cancer studies going on to protect the men and women that ride these fire trucks and protect these communities. … I’m thankful that we’re finally realizing mental health and cancer prevention are things that are important again for the longevity of these firefighters.
Is there a moment in your career that most shaped the kind of leader you are today?
A moment, no, but I’ve been very blessed to work around very talented officers. I picked and chose from each officer what I felt would be a benefit to me and my leadership style. I’ve always led by example, 35 years as a company officer in the city of Houston, the third-largest fire department in the United States. I stayed engaged from the time I got hired to the time I left, … and all that has made me who I am today.
What are some of the bigger challenges fire departments in Montgomery County face right now?
Growth and financing, Montgomery County is growing so fast that each department in the county has a hard time keeping up. For example, a new subdivision is going in on the west side of the county, and that fire department, there are so many homes going in, they’re going to have to find funding for another fire station, which is not overnight. To build a station nowadays is roughly about $5 million on the low end, and they don’t have to plan for that. … So a fire chief has to always think about tomorrow; planning is a huge part of what’s going on in the fire service in Montgomery County.
Are there any initiatives you hope to implement as Fire Chief Association president?
I would like to see us train together more. It’s 12 different fire departments, and your homeowner’s insurance is based on an ISO score. An ISO score has many elements to help maintain an affordable home insurance policy on your house. Well, when we train with our neighbors, you get points for that to help reduce your homeowner’s insurance. So I’d like to see more interlocal training, which has really started to gear up over the last couple of months. It has really nothing to do with myself, but we’re all realizing that we need to train together. The great thing about the fire service in Montgomery County is if my department is tied up on an incident, our neighbors will come in and just assume the role as if it were their incident, and that’s pretty significant.
What would you say to a young person considering a career in firefighting today?
Today, I would suggest education because that’s what this job is all about now. Degrees are important. Certifications are important, but more importantly, your physical shape and use [of] the programs that are available to you. Mental health, cancer screening, physicals, and take care of yourself. No putting that same coat on with fire debris on it. Back in the day, that was cool, you wanted to look like you’re in the battle all the time. Statistics show that’s not always healthy for us to do. So take care of themselves and take advantage of the programs that are in the department that we’ve never had.
How do you balance representing multiple departments that may have different needs or priorities?
Really, there’s not much to balance. I know each fire chief in this county personally, and they don’t need to be balanced. They are truly committed to their organization and the communities they protect. We just bounce ideas off each other and try to make it for a better tomorrow.
What legacy would you like to leave as president of the association and as a firefighter in general?
I would like the public to realize what goes into being a firefighter today. There’s a lot of training, a lot of man-hours, a lot of time away from your family. It’s not like in the old days, you show up, and you sit around; there’s none of that anymore. When these guys and girls come to work, they’re all in for either 24 or 48 hours, whatever shift they’re assigned. They’re there to take care of the customer. Eating at a fire station, that’s just a benefit; working out, that’s just a benefit. The only reason they’re here is to answer the call.