“Teamwork” and “Making sure customers are happy” are words Franklin Fire Captain Anthony Pasley uses to describe his job as the commanding officer of Franklin Fire Station 1. After serving the community with this philosophy for more than 30 years, he will retire this month.
A Franklin native, Pasley graduated in 1981 from Franklin High School. He began volunteering for the Franklin Fire Department in 1983 and was hired full time in 1985.
Pasley said his neighbor, Franklin Fire Engineer Robert Fitzgerald, was the one who encouraged him to get involved with the fire service. “When I was a junior in high school he started planting the seed,” said Pasley.
During his 32 years with the department, Pasley has served many roles, including lieutenant, engineer and firefighter. He was promoted to captain in 2006. He worked at three of the department’s seven stations, serving his final years as captain at Station 1 on New Highway 96 West.
Through the countless fires and incidents he’s responded to, Pasley said his most memorable fire was one of the first ones he fought in the Maplewood subdivision. He remembered, “It came out as a house fire – fire in the garage.” He said after they had extinguished the fire they discovered a woman inside the vehicle who had passed away. It was later determined to be a suicide. “That’s the one I always will remember – the tragedy of it,” said Pasley. He added, “And I was so young.”
Pasley said he’s tried over the years not to let things bother him, “I’m just trying to help someone solve a problem. I didn’t cause the problem. I’m just trying to solve it and move on.” Although he admits that’s not always easy, especially when a call is dispatched to an address you recognize. “Your immediate thought is, ‘Is it someone I know?’ You breathe a sigh of relief realizing it’s not a loved one.”
In fact, in 2009 Pasley responded to a house fire at his sister’s residence in Hill Estates that was caused by a wood stove. Thankfully everyone was okay. “They went to central heat and air after that,” Pasley laughed.
Franklin Fire and Life Safety Educator Jamie Melton said Pasley will be greatly missed. “He always did a fantastic job interacting with and instructing children at public education events. He was a wonderful teacher and role model,” said Melton. “The impact of his contributions to young people in our community will be felt far into the future.”
“He’s been a valuable part of our team for the past 32 years,” said Franklin Fire Chief Rocky Garzarek. “It’s difficult to replace someone with that kind of experience and knowledge. We are grateful for his service and wish him the very best retirement.”
Franklin City Administrator Eric Stuckey said, “We value the expertise of employees like Fire Captain Anthony Pasley. His long career with the city is a tribute to his dedication to our community. We thank him for his commitment to the Franklin Fire Department and wish him the best of luck in his retirement.”
Pasley, a Williamson County resident, said he’s looking forward to retirement and to supporting his two adult children in their careers.
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