Rickabaugh: Firefighting “gets into your blood.”
TOM PINNEY/DAILY FORUM
Maryville Public Safety Fire Division captain Phil Rickabaugh addresses a crowd at the 9/11 Memorial Service Monday morning. Rickabaugh has been part of Maryville Public Safety’s fire division for the past 32 years, and has led it for the past 20 years.
Phil Rickabaugh is what many would call a “Maryville lifer.”
Rickabaugh, who now serves as captain of the Maryville Public Safety Fire Division, graduated from Maryville High School in 1978 and stuck around working on various construction projects around the area. He did so until 1980, when he joined the United States Navy and got a chance to travel a bit.
After four years of service in the Navy, Rickabaugh wanted to return to Maryville in November 1984 to work in construction, but also wanted to be a firefighter either on a volunteer or paid basis to capitalize on training he had received in the Navy. The opportunity basically fell into his lap before too long.
“The MPS Fire Division had an opening for a fire apparatus operator at the time, which basically meant that I would be driving the fire truck, helping to operate the pump, and assisting with day to day maintenance of the equipment and the building,” Rickabaugh said. “I applied for the position, and in January 1985, I was given the position.”
Within 12 years, Rickabaugh had been promoted to Lieutenant in the department, which was the title for the head of the department at the time. The title was changed to captain in 2012.
Rickabaugh has served in such a dangerous capacity for 32 years, but he says he never tires of it.
“When you’re a firefighter, no matter whether you’re paid for it or volunteering, it gets into your blood,” Rickabaugh said. “It gets into your system, and it becomes something you just want to do.
“It’s a great feeling to know that you can still make a positive outcome on someone’s worst day. What I like most is that firefighters are still a trusted profession in this day and age; in a time where you can’t really trust anyone, people still trust firefighters with their lives, with taking care of their kids, with going into their houses.”
It’s why Rickabaugh loves what he does, and also why he said he’ll never do anything different.
Despite the benefit of being in a “trusted profession,” however, fire departments around the nation are experiencing a shortage in general, especially when it comes to volunteers. Rickabaugh attributes that to the death of altruism.
“We’re in the midst of a day and age where volunteerism is dying off,” Rickabaugh said. “In the past, when we would have volunteer drives, we would have an abundance of possible candidates, but now we usually get around four or five. And it’s not just with fire departments; Optimist Clubs, Lions Clubs, Rotary Clubs, and other volunteer service organizations like that are severely lacking in membership as opposed to years past.
“That said, however, we have had students from Northwest Missouri State University jump in and volunteer with us, and we currently have six students who are volunteer firefighters. For them, it’s a great way to get their feet wet, and the obvious advantage is that they’re young, eager, and in good shape. But the downside is that we only have them for so much time and then they leave.”
In total, MPS has around 30 volunteer firefighters, which Rickabaugh noted keeps them rather self-sufficient. At the same time, Rickabaugh knows the department’s limits.
“We’re what’s known as a ‘one-incident’ department, meaning that we usually have things under control if there’s just one thing going wrong,” Rickabaugh said. “But if we have two fires, that’s where things get hard.
“Fortunately, we have a lot of neighboring departments that we can trust with coming to help us in our time of need, and we happily reciprocate that help whenever they need some assistance.”
When he isn’t at the department or fighting a fire, Rickabaugh said he loves spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren, and tinkering around with woodworking in his shop. He also noted that he would like to get back into bicycling more often, as he has done several RAGBRAIs and would like to do one again.
Rickabaugh has lived most of his life in Maryville, mostly because of what he sees as the best outcome of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
“After the attacks happened, the nation came together in a show of unity that we hadn’t seen before,” Rickabaugh said. “Everyone was lauding this togetherness, but I found it a little odd; that’s every day in small-town USA.
“In a place like Maryville, that kind of sentiment is present every day, no matter what. We’re a close-knit community, where everyone helps everyone regardless of the situation.”
Despite the fact that he loves the way his life turned out, Rickabaugh advised that people learn from one of his biggest regrets.
“I always wished that I would have gotten a more formal education, so I always tell people to never stop learning,” Rickabaugh said. “It’s also important to take advantage of any opportunities you might be given.
“You never know if you’re going to get those chances again. Even if you get a chance to spend three months at the North Pole, take it!”
Editor’s Note
This story is part of a weekly series highlighting “Everyday Heroes.” In this weekly segment, the Daily Forum takes a look at people who work tirelessly to make Maryville a great place to live. If you have a suggestion for someone who you feel should be featured, please contact us via email at [email protected] or call the Forum at 660-562- 2424.