Tim Sendelbach stood before a filled room at the Larimer Emergency Telephone Authority building in Johnstown early Wednesday afternoon as he took his next firefighting career step. Once his father, Ed Sendelbach, finished pinning the golden badge to his son’s shirt, the two generations of firefighters smiled, laughed and shared a hug.
Sendelbach was officially sworn in as the Loveland Fire Rescue Authority’s newest fire chief Wednesday in a badge pinning and official swearing-in ceremony. Surrounded by friends, family and colleagues, the 52-year-old fire chief shared his thanks for the people that got him there and the future that he would have in Loveland.
Sendelbach’s mother, Shirley Sendelbach, said she and her husband were incredibly proud of their son and the work he had put in over his career.
While Sendelbach attributes his passion for and foundation of firefighting with his father, Ed Sendelbach said “Tim did everything on his own.”
Chief Ronald Jon Siarnicki, Sendelbach’s longtime friend and executive director of the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation said Wednesday was an exciting day for Sendelbach. Siarnicki said that, as someone with experience being a fire chief himself, he knows Sendelbach is up for the job.
“Tim has the attributes and the skills to do (the) work,” he said. “I think it has always been his dream.”
LFRA Division Chief Greg Ward said Sendelbach’s expertise in the field along with the energy he brings will help “push us forward” and carry on the legacy left behind by previous chiefs.
Division Chief Ned Sparks, who served as interim fire chief before Sendelbach was hired, said the passing of the baton was a big moment for the department, adding he was glad Sendelbach was the one to take the reins. Sparks also spoke about the meaning behind the fire chief badge, how it represents leadership, honor and history.
“When you’re wearing it, it’s about your character, your person,” he said.
Sendelbach spoke to those gathered about his past and the future he sees in Loveland; discussing the support form others that helped him reach where he is and the ways he hopes to support the members of the LFRA and the Loveland community.
Speaking directly to his parents, he thanked them for all they had done for him.
“It took me 35 years,” he said, a smile growing across his face. “I’m here.”
A “nontraditional” chief ready to serve the Sweetheart City
Sendelbach joined the firefighting profession in 1985 at his hometown fire department in Wilder, Kentucky as a volunteer firefighter. But, he said he knew that he wanted to be a firefighter well before then as he watched his dad serve as fire chief in their hometown.
Sendelbach said he remembers the night of May 28, 1977 when the Beverly Hills Supper Club, a nightclub in Southgate, Kentucky, burst into flames and caused the death of 165 people. He said he could see the flames from his house, and he remembers watching news coverage with his mother. This event, and his father’s service during it, propelled him into the business.
“I look at that and certainly I was not as impressionable when I was 8 years old, but now I look back and I … remember my dad speeding down the hill in his chief’s car,” he said
From 1985 onward, Sendelbach moved around to different departments across seven different states. He described himself as a nontraditional fire chief, in the way that he did not rise through the ranks directly at one organization, but took his talents, which he said focused on firefighter training, to different departments.
“It was just by happenstance,” he said. “They (would) have an issue, I was able to solve it and I moved onto the next organization to do that.”
During this time, Sendelbach also dipped his toe in the publication business. He said while in Los Angeles he was noticed by the the founder of Fire Rescue Magazine, who then told the magazine publisher to keep an eye on Sendelbach.
Eventually, he took on the role of editor-in-chief of FireRescue Magazine and before taking over Firehouse Magazine. This is a role he said he did behind the scenes, but one that was both enjoyable and educational.
“It is a library card without an expiration date,” he said. “It really helped me get educated and understand globally what was going on in the fire and EMS world.”
Sendelbach said he owes a lot of credit to Ward for his interest in joining LFRA as the newest fire chief. He said several years ago Ward hosted a Think Tank event, which Sendelbach described as a gathering of fire service leaders to have discussions about the field. He said in exploring Loveland during this time, with the help of Ward, he was able to gain some exposure to the area.
“You couple all of that with my desire to do outdoor activities …. all of these pieces started to come together,” Sendelbach said.
Sendelbach’s hopes for the future of the LFRA
In early August, Sendelbach was announced as one of the four finalists in the running to become retired Chief Mark Miller’s replacement. After several rounds of interviews and public meetings, he was offered the position and accepted. From there he left his previous job as assistant fire chief of the Kingman Fire Department in Kingman, Arizona.
Sendelbach, who started as fire chief in early October, said he knows he has made the right decision.
“I love the area and the more I get exposed to it the more it reinforces that,” he said. “I really didn’t have any doubts, but spending a couple of weekends here and being able to spread my wings a little bit and being able to see some of the outdoor activities, I am very happy.”
Going forward, Sendelbach says he sees himself in a position to look at the department with a critical and outside eye. He said while he believes the LFRA has a strong foundation and Miller left behind a great department, there are some things he would like to focus on.
One of his largest points of focus, something he called “number one” on his mind during his swearing in speech Wednesday, is firefighter safety and wellness.
“There are some holes in what we have done,” he said. “Looking at firefighter physicals on the front end, making sure we are hiring employees who are mentally and physically fit so we have a benchmark, and then I want to get them to retirement for a long retirement. So making sure I put those pieces of the puzzle together.”
He said he would also like to see an increase in marketing LFRA. He said he wants to focus on telling the story of the department, something he said is difficult without a designated public information officer or public education officer.
“We need help telling our story,” he said. “So the general public knows what we do, what we don’t do, why we do what we do. I think (that) is very important.”
Sendelbach said he wants to continue to have a strong relationship with the community, as his predecessor did.
“That is the traditional view of what a fire department is about; its part of the community,” he said. “I certainly think that is the right thing.”
