Aurora fire chief stepping down after 30 years

Tim Oelker began his career as an Aurora firefighter in February 1979, replacing the crusty old veteran who talked him into joining the fire service in the first place.

Now, in less than a month, the 57-year-old Aurora fire chief will look to pass his own torch, ending an improbable 30-year run with the Aurora Fire Department.

When he was a young man returning to his hometown after a stint in the Navy, Oelker admits he worked several "dead-end" jobs while trying to find his way.

"I was living in a two-flat on Jackson and the guy above me was a firefighter," Oelker said. "So we got to know each other and he talked to me about the job satisfaction, flexible schedule and adequate pay. When he retired, that was the vacancy I was hired for."

Oelker was promoted to lieutenant in 1985, to captain in 1996, to battalion chief in 2000, to assistant chief in January 2003, to deputy chief several months later, and finally to chief in November 2005.

The life of a firefighter turned out to be every bit as rewarding as Oelker was told it would be - and then some. He says he'll miss the rewarding feeling of saving a life and the camaraderie of the firehouse.

"The department is more than just buildings and trucks. It's the people that give it the personality and make it what it is," he said. "You spend 30 years with people and it becomes a huge part of your life, especially with the schedule we work. You get to know people's families, people's kids. You go through births and deaths and divorces and graduations with those people."

Ironically, living those life experiences and seeing people under pressure also helped Oelker make his decision to retire.

"It makes it easy when you work with guys you are confident can step in and continue to do a good job," Oelker said. "If I had any reservations about how I was leaving the city or the department, I might have had some second thoughts."

Mayor Tom Weisner agrees that Oelker is leaving the department better than he found it three decades ago.

"In his own quiet way, Tim Oelker has been a powerful force in the Aurora Fire Department," Weisner said. "Morale, cooperation and positive attitudes have never been better."

The job hasn't been all roses, however, and Oelker says he's shed a few tears over the years.

"Occasionally you go to a call in the middle of the night where an old guy got up to go the bathroom and never comes back to bed because he died in the washroom," Oelker said. "A big part of their (spouse's) reason for waking up is no longer there and you know within six months you're going to be back there for them. And it's tough."

Those are the times when firefighters mean the most to those they're helping.

"I try to tell the firefighters now that the potential for the good they do may seem insignificant to them, but it may seem like the angels have come down from heaven to the person on the other end of the phone," he said. "The career itself is the highlight."

Looking toward the future with a solid personnel core, Oelker said the economy is the only thing that can hold the department back. Financial cutbacks may hurt the city's ability to open another station or put another ambulance on the street.

"As I look forward for the department, I would like to see a new station on the northeast side and we've been talking about that for a long time. But the fact of the matter is that it costs a lot of money to hire those people to man those vehicles," he said. "And our EMS calls have increased every year. So I would like to see another ambulance put into service, but that also requires the hiring of more people."

As for Oelker's future, don't look for him to pop up in another, smaller department any time soon. He's perfectly content in Aurora. Oelker said he's excited to concentrate on some hobbies, including restoring old motorcycles, collecting antique fishing tackle, canoeing, woodcarving and gardening.

"There are chiefs who move on to other departments and that's great, but that's not something I'm seeking out," he said. "I'm just going to retire. If I get bored I'll look for something to do. If I don't, I won't. I can be happy doing nothing but reading a good book all day."