By DAVID SWEARINGEN
TheFlashToday.com
EDITOR’S NOTE: Residents of Erath County are very fortunate to have many men and women who make living here safe, many of whom are volunteers. They are Hometown Heroes! These people keep us safe and we owe them our thanks and our respect. THANK YOU!
ERATH COUNTY (March 18, 2017) – This week The Flash’s Hometown Hero is Joe Brown. He has served as the County Commissioner for Precinct 3 since 2008 and has been a volunteer fireman for 36 years.
For the last 13 years, he has been a volunteer firefighter for Erath County Volunteer Fire Rescue. He is currently the assistant fire chief for the department. Both of his sons – Todd and Clint – are also volunteers with ECVFR. Brown previously worked for Bruner Chevrolet’s Service Department for 25 years, then later for TexStar Ford and TexStar Kubota for six years. Chances are you’ve seen this guy around town.
Brown was born in Hico on June 5, 1958. Due to his father working in the oilfields, he spent the first nine years of his life in Hobbs, New Mexico, and Midland. He has lived in Stephenville since he was 10 years old.
He graduated from Stephenville High School in 1976 and married Daina Barron Brown in 1977. Together, Joe and Daina have two sons and five grandsons. Unfortunately, they lost their granddaughter, Chloe Mae, to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome at 6 months old. Each of the ECVFR trucks have a little green butterfly sticker with “Chloe Mae” attached to the front fenders to honor the memory of little Chloe Mae.
Since he was a young boy, Brown said he always wanted to be a fireman. He enjoys not only the excitement, but also the opportunity to help people during a time which is quite often one of the darker moments in their lives. He said sometimes the job can be emotionally tough for him because after living here for most of his life, he often has to help people he has personally known for years. Or he may have known their parents. Brown’s uncle, James McPherson, was a volunteer firefighter for 25 years and his passion to help others led him down that same path. Brown received his firefighter training on the job as well as from Texas A&M Fire Service(online and/or DVD training).
Being a firefighter and working with the Emergency Medical Service teams can be a bit traumatic at times. Brown said, in 2016, 12 ECVFR workers attended a two-day course, Critical Incident Stress Management or CISM, which is designed to help emergency workers deal with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). He said occasionally they are temporarily assigned different duties to allow them time to recover from a traumatic situation they have had to see or deal with.
“Knowing that at some point, I have helped somebody and helped to make their life a little better is what keeps me going,” Brown said.
In his off time, spending time with his family is what Brown said he enjoys most. He also enjoys elk hunting in Colorado, which he has done since 1978. Brown said his late father-in-law, George Barron, referred to elk hunting as therapy. He hopes and plans to keep this elk hunting therapy in the family as he includes his two sons on his trips now.
Brown has served as a 4-H Shooting Sports coach and instructor since 1987. He originally agreed to be a shooting coach for 4-H until each of his boys turned 18. His sons, Todd and Clint, are both now in their 30’s and Brown still continues to coach. Although, he admits he does not do it near as much as he used to.
In addition to his work with the county and the ECVFR, Brown stays busy with involvement in several different organizations and committees. He is a member of Emergency Planning and Preparedness (NCTCOG) that meets once a quarter in Arlington. He is a lifetime member of both the National Rifle Association as well as the Texas Rifle Association. He is also on the Education Committee at the Texas County Judges and Commissioners Association. Brown said there are other organizations and groups he is also a part of. And, as a County Commissioner, he is required to have a certain amount of Continuing Education Hours each year.
Brown said he is very proud of his association with Erath County Volunteer Fire Rescue. He said over 20 individuals have started there as volunteers and gone on to become professional firefighters in places like Cleburne, Dallas, Fort Worth and the DFW Airport.
“There are daily opportunities in this county to use my gift of service to help others and to make this place a better place to live,” Brown said with a proud smile.
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