Lombard's new fire chief all about respect

Those who know Lombard's new Fire Chief Mike Torrence don't talk about him without mentioning the word “respect.”

“He does not demand respect, but he gets respect,” Linda Herza, administrative coordinator for the department, said. “People just respect him. Some leaders demand that you respect them he never had to. People just fall in line with him.”

Torrence earns respect by being thoughtful, honest and fair, Battalion Chief Chuck Ralis said.

Torrence not only earns respect, but gives it, Lombard Village Manager Dave Hulseberg said.

But Torrence's wife of 25 years, Cindy, put it best.

“The word respect has come up a lot with his appointment,” she said. “I think his co-workers have always said ‘We do respect him,' and he just has a way with the men that a lot of people don't.”

As for Torrence's thoughts on respect, he said it's what will allow him to succeed as the top man in charge of firefighters he's worked with for years.

“I've never had a difficult time doing my job and I think that's because of the respect of the men. The respect I have for them, the respect they have for me,” Torrence said. “They understand that I have a job to do and sometimes that job is difficult.”

Torrence officially took the department's reins on Friday. He will command a department of 64 firefighters and paramedics during tough economic times, but he said he is ready for the challenge. Because to him, the core challenge of being a fire official is helping people through accidents, unexpected challenges and tragedies.

“There are so many great people in town, so many good people, a lot of caring people,” Torrence said. “Living some of their difficulties and helping them through it is something that I've always wanted to do and I'll always continue to do.”

In 32 years as a Lombard firefighter Torrence has never worked for another fire department he said he's lived through his share of difficult times, as well as funny stories and rewarding moments.

Like the time when he helped deliver a baby in the front yard of a family with the last name of Badger.

“And of course the newspapers got ahold of it and said ‘Paramedics deliver baby Badger in front yard,'” Torrence said.

Or the time he helped a woman deliver a baby in a bathroom, just to find out later the woman named her son John.

He's also seen Lombard change and grow over time.

“When I started on this department back in 1978, we ran probably 300 calls a year,” Torrence said. The department now responds to between 7,000 and 7,500 calls each year. “Believe it or not, a lot of the south end of town was all fields. We didn't have I-355 coming through town.”

Since he also grew up in Lombard, there's not a street in the village Torrence hasn't been to. He said he benefits from firsthand knowledge of where fire extinguishers are located inside businesses and buildings.

“He's got more integrity than anyone I know. He knows the job,” Ralis said. “He's walked the walk.”

While Torrence may earn a different, slightly higher, level of respect as chief, he said he isn't afraid to share his power and his knowledge.

“I'm not fearful of somebody taking my job. I think that people ... who have less seniority than me should, at the end, have more knowledge than I do,” he said. “If I can give them everything that I have, plus what they learn, they should be better than me. And I think that if we strive for that in our department, to mentor our younger individuals, we're going to go far.”

Torrence said his first priority, other than leading the Lombard Fire Department forward, is his family.

His daughters Torri, 23, and Taylr, 21, grew up used to a firefighter's lifestyle. He's left Cindy in a theater during the middle of a film to respond to a call and worked Christmas mornings.

“We don't know any other way,” Cindy said. “That's just our lives and we're really excited he's been appointed chief.”