Fire chiefs’ experience and vision team to prepare for future

Fire chiefs’ experience and vision team to prepare for future

Thursday, 07 December 2006

Larry Hodge, Round Rock Fire Chief

After spending a little more than a year in Independence, Missouri as a fire chief, Round Rock Fire Chief Larry Hodge moved back to his home state last January. Hodge grew up in Fort Worth and began working as a firefighter after being discharged from the Navy. Some friends persuaded him to join the academy saying that he could still go to college and support his young family.

“I honestly did not intend to stay with the fire department after I finished school,” Hodge said. “But, I liked it so much that here I am 40 years later still doing it.”

Q. How did you become chief of the Round Rock Fire Department?

A. I moved to Round Rock in January 2005 from Independence, Missouri where I was the fire chief. I wanted to get back home to Texas and saw an opportunity in a growing community. The real reason I came was because of the city council and the city manager. After meeting them, I knew I wanted to be selected. This city has a lot of great people with a great work attitude.

Q. What are the duties of the fire chief?

A. My responsibility is to represent the fire department internally with the city and externally to the community. I like to create an environment that allows the fire fighters to become the best they can be with what we do. I support them and do what needs to be done to provide what the community needs, wants and expects.

Q. How is the department meeting the needs of the community?

A. I think the 10-year plan that the city presented to the residents was the best way for us to get feedback from the community. I have always spoken to groups and organizations in the city as a way to find out what residents want. I believe the fire department exists to serve the community and know what they want and can afford.

Q. What does the future hold for the fire department?

A. I think, in general, there will be lots of changes in America. We are doing more with less people. The focus has shifted in training. We will focus on high-risk, low-frequency training that deals with injuries and fatalities. We just instated Richard Rago to a new position as the Emergency Management Coordinator to help us focus on emergency preparedness.

Q. What is one of the craziest calls you have ever received?

A. When I was working in Fort Worth, we got a call on the south side of town that a lady had fallen in her bathroom and was wedged between the toilet and the bathtub. We could not get her out and we had to take the sink, cabinet and toilet out of the bathroom in order to get her out.

• Education: BA in Psychology from Texas Wesleyan University; MBA from Keller School of Business in Kansas City, Missouri
• Family: Wife, Lorraine, three grown children, six grandchildren
• Contact Information: 218-6630, E-mail: lhodge@round-rock.tx.us

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Ron Moellenberg, Pflugerville Fire Chief

Emergency Services District #2 Fire Chief Ron Moellenberg services with his team all of the city of Pflugerville and even some of Austin and Round Rock. He moved to Pflugerville when he was in the eighth grade, graduated from Pflugerville High School and married Susan Pfluger, a descendant of one of the city’s founding families.

After a short time in the army, he returned to his hometown and helped found Pflugerville’s first volunteer fire department in 1977. More than 10 years later, Moellenberg was appointed the first and only fire chief of Pflugerville.

“Being a firefighter is not a lifestyle a lot of people understand,” Moellenberg said. “We are all adrenaline junkies. We are in it for the excitement.”

Q. How did you become chief of Emergency Services District #2?

A. I began as a volunteer in 1977 and applied for the position in December of 1986 when Pflugerville decided to begin a paid fire department. I was selected by a board of volunteer fire firefighters and was the first person hired. I wanted to do it for the challenge and opportunity to take something and watch it grow from infancy.

Q. What are the duties of the fire chief?

A. I am the chief, cook and bottle washer. I am in charge of the emergency services district, human resources, budget management, and logistical support.

Q. How is the department meeting the needs of the community?

A. We are continuing to grow with the community. We have one to four people staffed 24 hours a day and seven days a week. We also have a fire code enforcement in place in the commercial businesses in the community. Before a commercial building is built, we make sure their building is a fire safe facility. It really enhances the quality of the buildings in the city. You can already see a difference in the construction.

Q. What does the future hold for Emergency Services District #2?

A. I wish I could tell you all that the future will hold. We will be building additional fire stations to keep up with the growth. We respond to about 5,000 alarms per year. We monitor the growth by watching the number of calls, the number of multi-company (trucks) responses, and the response times.

Q. What is the craziest call you have ever received?

A. A long time ago, we were called to come find an animal in a house. We never found the supposed animal. We think that the lady of the house simply needed some company. She greeted us with a flimsy nightgown on and had us looking for an animal until we decided that it was time to go.

• Education: Bachelor’s from Texas A&M in Biomedical Science
• Family: Wife, Susan, three grown children, three grandchildren
• Contact Information: 251-2801, E-mail: rmoellenberg@pflugervillefire.com