Forney’s first-ever paid Fire Chief, Chief Rick Townsend, is retiring this month. His leadership has allowed the Forney Fire Department to evolve with the changing times in ways best suited to serve the continually growing population of our town.
Back when “Ricky T”, as he is known by many other oldtime Forney-ites, first joined the Forney Fire Department, the year was 1976. Forney was a close-knit, humble suburb of Dallas that boasted all of about 2,000 residents. The all-volunteer fire department at that time bravely served those residents wearing canvas coats and leather gloves from the hardware store. Chief Townsend remarks that he “was very blessed to start on the fire department when it was somewhat primitive,” and recalls that, in those days, the department would take just about any help they could get. Once he had graduated from Forney High School in 1972, young Rick and his friends would often go assist, albeit unofficially, on calls and would be told to “grab a hose”. These encounters led to his eventual acceptance as an official volunteer fireman for the City of Forney.
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