After 45 years in the firefighter service, Terry Ney has officially hung up his coat and boots.

The assistant chief and second-in-command for South Whidbey Fire/EMS, Ney’s last day on the job was Jan. 31.

“I personally looked to Terry as a mentor, sounding board and friend in the few years we have worked together,” Fire Chief Nick Walsh said.

Ney joined the department in January 2020, initially one of three deputy chiefs. When Walsh came on board as the new fire chief in 2022, the roles were restructured, and Ney became assistant chief.

His main roles at South Whidbey Fire/EMS were to organize responses to calls and to provide details about fires to a certain South Whidbey Record reporter as the district’s public information officer.

Ney referred to himself as an “accidental firefighter.” Four and a half decades ago, he noticed a fire in his southern Oregon neighborhood. He followed the column of smoke that was coming from a grassy area and found that some kids had started a campfire, which was rapidly spreading. Ney had worked for the U.S. Forest Service while in college, so he grabbed a shovel and started digging a fire line before the fire department showed up.

“Back then, they didn’t throw civilians off the fire,” he said. “They just said, ‘Keep on working.’”

Afterwards, the firefighters asked what he was doing Wednesday nights and invited him to come join them. At the time, Ney was a technical representative for an auto parts manufacturing company and searching for a different career.

He started volunteering, first as a firefighter and then as a paramedic in downtown Portland, which was a big change from the rural environments he usually worked in. His paid time often overlapped with his volunteer hours.

Ney occupied various leadership roles throughout different Oregon fire districts, including fire chief of Lane Fire Authority, an area just outside of Eugene, from 2010 to 2019.

He and his wife wanted to live somewhere they could have direct water access for their sailboat, so they looked to the Puget Sound, where Ney has various family connections.

Over the years Ney has seen many safety improvements in firefighting. When he was starting out, self-contained breathing apparatuses were scarce, made of different materials and only reserved for the big fires. The crew rode on the tailboard – the extended back bumper – of a fire engine on the way to calls. He agreed it was a more dangerous time for the career, but they didn’t know any better then.

Whether it’s rescuing a puppy that’s fallen down a cliff, leading a solid attack on a house fire or helping a medical patient breathe better, there’s plenty of ways to make a positive impact.

“It’s the best job in the world. It really is,” he said. “I guess the biggest reward is just knowing that you’re making the day better for somebody. You’re probably showing up on what might be the worst day of their life. The things you do can make it a little less bad.”

Throughout his career, two calls stand out in Ney’s mind. The first was when he led the command for a large fire at a middle school in Clackamas County, Oregon in the mid-90s. It was the first day of school, and the fire chief had taken off for a rafting trip on the other side of the mountains, mistakenly believing that a kid had pulled the fire alarm as a prank. It turned out to be a huge fire that required aid from other fire districts.

The second incident was the Mutiny Bay seaplane crash in 2022, which resulted in the deaths of all 10 people onboard.

“That was the single largest loss of life incident that I’ve ever commanded,” Ney said.

In retirement, he plans to spend more time working on his 42-foot sailboat. In the spring, he will teach sailing classes in Bellingham with San Juan Sailing. He has also been invited to become a skipper on the Schooner Suva.

But most of all, he’s looking forward to finally getting some rest and not being on call anymore. For the past 45 years, he’s had some sort of “noisy box” beside his bed.

“The only thing now on my nightstand is a cell phone, and I can turn it off,” he said with a laugh.

The two division chiefs, Joey Dilley and Alex Magallon, will step in to fill his role.

“Assistant Chief Terry Ney will be missed at South Whidbey,” Walsh said. “He was not only a pillar of strength and stability here through tough times but also a refreshing sense of humor.”

(Photo provided) With his back to the camera, Terry Ney, center, surveys the Colton Middle School fire in Clackamas County, Oregon.

(Photo provided) South Whidbey Fire/EMS Assistant Chief Terry Ney at his retirement ceremony. Ney’s last day on the job was Jan. 31.