Lombard honors firefighter for 32 years of service

Lombard firefighter Jim Barron came off the clock for good Thursday night after a brief retirement ceremony held in his honor at the village board meeting.

The 32-year firefighter said he couldn’t retire without finding a new passion.

“How do you turn off the switch of the camaraderie and the fun?” Barron said he asked a retired Lombard deputy fire chief as he was considering retiring.

“It’s simple — you just find something else you enjoy,” was the reply he got.

Barron, 53, will begin working for Waste Management in Union Grove, Wis., managing the second shift of a mercury waste solutions division.

He said he’s content with retiring from the Lombard Fire Department because he feels he’s done all he could for the department.

He worked as a paramedic for 18 years, and over time was a significant figure in the public education, fire investigation and fire prevention and inspection divisions, Chief Mike Torrence said. He got to know Lombard’s streets, buildings and neighborhoods by memory and always taught new hires the ropes, firefighter Greg Vazquez said.

“I’m one of the few people who doesn’t need a map,” Barron said.

Although Barron spent his entire career as one of the “blue shirts,” a firefighter, not a higher-ranking officer, Vazquez said many in the department recognized his expertise.

“(Barron) had a long, fun-filled, knowledgeable career,” Vazquez said. “He really set the bar high for us.”

He also escaped from a few dangerous situations, including a fall through a floor of a building set on fire by an arsonist, Torrence said. Barron’s dedication to staying in top physical shape allowed him to pull himself up from the basement using the hose line, the chief said.

Barron remembers getting the call to begin working for the Lombard Fire Department, and said he’s glad his retirement will allow someone else to get the same call.

“We’re able to give a call to someone else to start here and I’m excited because someone else is getting the call that I was excited to get 32 years ago,” Barron said.

Lombard actually will be hiring two new firefighters soon, Village Manager David Hulseberg said. Jonathan Trapani and Lombard resident Joseph Kaforski were approved to be hired and will begin attending a fire academy soon, Hulseberg said.