Gatesville fire chief hangs up helmet after half-century of service

GATESVILLE, Texas (KWTX) - Billy Vaden will officially retire as Gatesville Fire Chief on New Year’s Day, ending a remarkable 55-year career with the volunteer department that began when he was just 23 years old.

Vaden, who will turn 80 in 2026, said his decision to step down comes as his body can no longer keep up with the demands of firefighting.

“I’m 79, I’ll be 80 in ’26. My mind is fairly still intact, but my body’s not,” Vaden said. “It hurts to do things I used to just do like second nature. I don’t want to get any of these guys hurt.”

From volunteer to chief

Vaden joined the Gatesville Fire Department in November 1970, encouraged by a friend who volunteered with the force and the fire chief at the time. Both repeatedly urged him to join the department.

“Finally, I just bit the bullet one day and went and joined,” Vaden said. “Once I got in, it became an addiction to me. I was hooked, line and sinker.”

He became chief approximately 46 years ago and has led the department through significant changes in equipment, training and firefighting techniques.

Dual career dedication

Vaden’s passion for firefighting ran so deep that he maintained two careers simultaneously. While serving as Gatesville’s volunteer chief, he also worked 25 years for the Waco Fire Department, retiring from there approximately 22 years ago.

“I thought this is the greatest job in the world, and it was,” Vaden said of his time with Waco Fire. “I like to fight fire. That’s the best adrenaline rush you can get.”

The demanding schedule meant working 24 hours on and 48 hours off in Waco, allowing him also to serve Gatesville.

Personal sacrifices

Vaden acknowledged that his dedication to firefighting came at a personal cost, particularly to his family life.

“My wife has sacrificed a lot. Basically, I think she raised our children and we had two daughters,” Vaden said. “Between this fire department and the Waco Fire Department, she did everything.”

Despite the sacrifices, Vaden said his wife Peggy has been supportive throughout their marriage, which began just three months before he joined the fire department.

Memorable dispatches

Among Vaden’s most memorable calls was his first major structure fire at the old Methodist Church in the early 1970s, when firefighters didn’t even have proper bunker gear and wore coveralls instead.

More recently, he led the department through four simultaneous 1,000-acre wildfires in 2012, marking his first experience coordinating with out-of-state resources and learning formal incident command procedures.

“That was my introduction to working with people from other places,” Vaden said. “We had a lot of out-of-state resources here in Texas at that time under the Forest Service.”

Volunteer firefighting challenges

One of Vaden’s biggest concerns is the declining number of volunteer firefighters nationwide, a trend he’s witnessed firsthand in Gatesville.

“It’s getting harder and harder to get volunteers,” Vaden said. “It’s killing slowly, but it is killing the fire service, the volunteer fire service.”

When Vaden started in 1970, the department was largely composed of local businessmen, including bankers and car dealers. Today, the department includes seven city employees, several retirees, and younger volunteers drawn by the excitement rather than civic duty.

The economic impact of losing volunteer departments would be significant. Vaden estimates that replacing Gatesville’s volunteer department with a full-time operation would add $3 to $4 million annually to the city budget.

Volunteer firefighting challenges

As he closes out his career, one of Vaden’s biggest concerns is the declining number of volunteer firefighters nationwide.

“It’s getting harder and harder to get volunteers,” Vaden said. “It’s killing slowly, but it is killing the fire service, the volunteer fire service.”

When Vaden started in 1970, he said the department was largely composed of local businessmen, including bankers and car dealers. Today, he said the department includes seven city employees, several retirees, and younger volunteers. He says today, more volunteers are drawn by the excitement rather than civic duty.

Vaden warns the shortage could have an economic impact on smaller cities if they are forced to hire a full-time department.

Training and legacy

Vaden takes pride in the department’s training program, which ensures firefighters know their roles without constant direction.

“You shouldn’t have to take a guy and say, ‘Go do this, go do that.’ They should know what to do,” Vaden said. “I feel like the fire department’s in very good shape.”

Phil Gregory, a longtime Gatesville firefighter, praised Vaden’s leadership style: “He never sent us anywhere he wouldn’t go.”

Transition and future plans

Assistant Chief Robert Featherston will take over leadership of the department after Vaden’s departure.

“We’re gonna have a hard time filling those shoes,” Featherston said.

Vaden plans to continue maintaining radio systems for the county and city, keeping him somewhat involved with emergency services. He and his wife are planning a 5,000-mile road trip, something they’ve never had time to do during his active firefighting years.

“You don’t do something 50-something years and not miss it,” Vaden said. “But you just learn to live with it.”

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