It is 2.7 miles from George Mallory's home to the Merriam Fire Station.
Just ask him.
“I can be there short order,” Mallory said with pride showing in his steel blue eyes.
Since 1960, the volunteer firefighter has been ready — rain or shine, morning or night — responding to more than 15,000 calls.
Mallory recently was honored by the City Council for 45 years of volunteer service.
“It's an accomplishment in my eyes to do anything of value for that long,” Fire Chief Jerry Montgomery said.
Mallory, who grew up in Merriam and now lives in Shawnee, joined Merriam's volunteer force almost a decade before a full-time department was formed.
Mallory was asked to join the paid staff, but had to turn the city down. He couldn't afford to take the cut in pay and benefits from his full-time job as a mechanic at TWA.
And even though he retired last year after 40 years with TWA, don't expect him to do the same with his volunteer post.
“The advantage to being a volunteer is that you don't have to retire,” he said. “I vow not to retire from this hobby until — until I get in the way.”
Montgomery said volunteer firefighters essentially have the same training and perform the same tasks as full-time firefighters.
“It's not a job for him — it's a passion,” Montgomery said. “He loves the fire service, particularly the city of Merriam Fire Department.”
Mallory said he'd put his department up against any other in the Kansas City area.
“We'll kick their rears,” he said, laughing. Then, more seriously, “I'm afraid people take this department and operation for granted.”
Now the ranking volunteer captain in the department, Mallory found his passion for firefighting at age 5 when his father, George Mallory Sr., took his twin sons to a fire station in Delaware.
“My father knew what he was up to,” Mallory said. “He put my twin brother and I on the front bumper of the fire engine and had someone blow the siren. It scared the living daylights out of me, and I've been hooked ever since.”
Firefighting runs in the Mallory blood. Mallory's father and his twin brother, Steve, and his son, Jeff, have all served as Merriam volunteers. And his daughter, Michelle, served as an Emergency Medical Technician for Merriam as well.
And now, another generation looks to have caught the firefighting bug.
Mallory said his 7-year-old grandson, Alec, “just trembles” when he sees a fire truck.
“He thinks the siren and the red lights are the most awesome things he's ever heard and seen,” Mallory said. “The other day he said, ‘Grandpa, some day I wish I could run a fire engine with you.' That makes it all worth while.”
Mallory said a sense of tradition with his father's involvement is much of what motivated him to continue volunteering over the years, but he's also been drawn in by the excitement and camaraderie that come with the job.
“When you join this profession, you become part of the largest, closest-knit family in the world. This is my ticket into any fire house in the country for a cup of coffee and friendly conversation,” he said, pointing at his gold belt buckle, which is in the shape of a fireman's helmet.
Mallory said he couldn't have continued his volunteer duties without the support of his wife, Sharon.
“When you count the number of missed meals, hours of sleep, interrupted shopping trips or school functions — her acceptance of what I do is what has allowed me to do this so long,” he said.
Sharon Mallory said she adjusted to her husband's around-the-clock dedication to the fire department.
“He was on the department when we started dating, so I've grown with it,” she said. “It's something that's in him and he really enjoys it. There are a lot of other things he could be doing that I might not approve of.”
To reach Edie Hall, Merriam City Hall reporter, call (816) 234-7725
Distributed by the Associated Press
