The fire service lost a great firefighter, leader, educator, and friend this weekend.
I first met Greg in some of our initial firefighter classes during Thurston County recruit academy in the fall of 1993. Being two of the youngest in the class, we had much more in common with each other than with most of the other firefighters who would become distracted with the problems old people have. (At that time, “old people” would have been thirty.) We eventually became roommates for several years but remained close with our old crew who eventually landed at departments in Lacey, Olympia, and Seattle. We found that most of the problems in the world, fire service, and relationships could be solved if we’d commit to the required amount of time and beer. Some of the problems required whiskey, but being the professionals that we were, we would do what was necessary. Anything for the service. If things couldn’t be solved in house, we would often retreat to snowboarding or lifting weights for a change of perspective. I got him out on the golf course once, but we both agreed bringing him there again wouldn’t help anyone.
Greg was the instructor my group had when we first visited Burn to Learn in North Bend. He was looking forward to getting to work with our team that day and assured us that we’d have a much better experience with him than with some of the other staff up there. As we were hauling pallets into our assigned room, we noticed that our room had significantly more than some of the others. We collectively decided that it shouldn’t be mentioned. He was eventually chastised for letting our room get too hot (melted some equipment) but didn’t apologize for the efforts. We could see he was taking the opportunity to teach our group personally and thought the experience was worth the reprimand. He wanted to make sure we both had the skills to take care of business when we were done and had fun while we were there. That’s just the kind of guy Greg was.
We had the opportunity to apply these skills some years later when we were living together in Tanglewilde. It was winter and I was trying to start a fire in the fireplace with wood that was both green and damp. Knowing that the normal newspaper/kindling combo wouldn’t do the trick, we decided that this situation called for an accelerant. We didn’t have any bbq fluid in the house so we had to use WD40 and some other flammable liquids I found in the garage. (If I shared here what we used, I would likely have FEMA agents at my door, and none of us want to go through that again.) We were keenly aware of the consequences of setting my house on fire in my response area and that we’d never hear the end of an ER visit. Since he outranked me we decided he’d be the safety officer and I’d have to do the lighting. After all, I was paying for the home insurance. So with Greg posed at my side with a large non-flammable blanket (safety first), I flung lit matches at the fuming mass of wood and paper products in the fireplace like a champion dart player. The incident action plan provided that should the vapor explosion spread to me, he would tackle me with the blanket and we would both “stop, drop, and roll”. The phone in the kitchen would serve as a backup plan if we had to call in help like normal people. Needless to say, we got the fire started and no one got hurt. Greg was well versed in incident management and this example only served to support the fact that proper planning will help you avoid most catastrophes.
We were all better for having known Greg. He and I took dozens of classes together over the years and had the kind of experiences on calls and in life that create that fundamental bond that never leaves. No matter how much time had passed since the last time we’d spoken, it only took a few minutes of catching up and it was like he was still sleeping in the room at the end of the hall.
I watched Greg grow from a Firefighter to Training Officer and then Assistant Chief. I was constantly trying to bring him over to Lacey Fire District #3 and thought I had succeeded when he took a trainee position with us. Knowing what he brought to the table, I was sure he would be successful with a career job soon after. Greg possessed all of the fire and ems skills and was one of those people who was really in the business to help people. He made our organization stronger and I was glad to have him on our team. Time would reveal to me that it was obvious his heart remained in South Bay. It was bitter sweet to see him leave my department, but I knew South Bay was where he was meant to be.
Greg was maybe the best example of a firefighter committed to his professional development. Whenever I had question about a class or book I knew I could ask him because he had probably taken it and it was likely that the book was already in his office. He accomplished more in the fifteen or so years he had in the service than most people will in their entire careers.
His greatest accomplishments would not end up on his resume because they are much bigger than any class, degree, or certification. He took the Training Officer role seriously and has no doubt left his mark on hundreds of young firefighters over the years. Greg’s South Bay Fire Department and many in our area are stronger because of his efforts. The men and women Greg helped teach and influence are now working at so many other departments and helping people all over the state. I count myself as one of them.
Thommy I’m sorry that I didn’t see the pain that you were experiencing. I will regret it for the rest of my life. I always looked forward to seeing you and knew that an invaluable resource was headed my direction when I would hear you on the radio. I knew that on any call there was nothing we couldn’t handle together. I wish you would have felt the same way during this last week with some of the issues you were dealing with. I wish you would have reached out and let some of us know. You would have had a hundred people knocking down doors to help you in a matter of seconds.
Most of us won’t be able to understand what made Greg feel like he had to make that final decision. What we can do is remember all that he gave us and how much he meant to all of us. That final decision will not be what defines Greg. He was bigger and better than that. Greg will be remembered for what he gave to his department, the fire service, and how he made us better for knowing him.
Greg Thompson was loved, he was respected, and he will be missed.
God bless you Thommy. Rest in peace brother.