Firefighters are mourning the death of a longtime member who residents called the heart and soul of the Black Eagle Volunteer Fire Department.
Tom Martin, 65, died at home on Aug. 19, less than a day after he attended training with his department, according to a release from the U.S. Fire Administration.
Martin joined the department in 1994 was named chief in 2009.
"It's a tough loss," Assistant Chief Mike Deshayes told the Great Falls Tribune. "He was a huge mentor to a lot of us and he was a pillar to the community of Cascade County."
Since Deshayes joined the department in 2004, he said Martin helped the department acquire new up-to-date equipment and taught firefighters how to have pride in the department. He also forged relationships with local and regional fire departments and introduced an EMS program to the department.
"The fire department was his life," Deshayes said. "He put his heart and soul into the department... He was all about helping people, helping the community. The big push was to give back to other fire departments in the county, so when they called, we went. It didn't matter."
"I met him at several events, some of our joint meetings with emergency response crews," Great Falls Mayor Bob Kelly told the Great Falls Tribune. "He was always quick to introduce himself and his firefighters and you could tell he was remarkably proud of them and the work they did."
"We had a quick response with initial crews on scene and ambulance was quick on the scene," Deshayes said about the call to Martin's home. "All our training came together and we did everything that we could. Of course, the outcome wasn't what we wanted."
Once word got out about Martin's death, area department offered to provide coverage while Black Eagle firefighters took care of matters.
The funeral will be held Aug. 25 at Montana Expo Park in Great Falls.
