The legacy of the Firefighter Combat Challenge would not be complete without this anecdote from our first event at the University of Maryland's Fire and Rescue Institute.
It was Sunday, in May of 1991. We have five jurisdictions in attendance. There was one lane. No electronic timing, no music, no banners.
A small crowd, an editor from Fire Chief magazine and the local CBS affiliate's news crew. We did have the imprimatur of the DC Council of Governments (COG) Fire Training Officer's Sub-Committee, who had endorsed the event.
After a briefing, we started the competition. And people started cheering, something that you'd never hear at a drill.
As the competition progressed, the firefighters were getting the hang of it; watching the preceding competitors helped with techniques and times were getting faster.
Helping as a Course Marshal that day was Lt. Jimmy Jarboe- my training officer back in 1966 when I became a volunteer at the City of Takoma Park's Station 2.
Jimmy had correctly anticipated that one of the competitors was about to lap the one in front. The last evolution was the Rescue Randy, a 175-pound, 100-foot dummy drag. And we only had one dummy,
I asked Jimmy, "What do you weigh?" As it turned out, "175 pounds."
"Good," I remarked. "Lay down at the start of the dummy drag,"
The following competitor snatched Jimmy and passed the competitor in front of him.
For the next 30 years, Jimmy and I would recount how he had saved the day and the race as the "175-pound dummy."
While in Berlin for our 16th Annual Challenge, I got a text from my son Brent. It was the image below. As soon as I saw Jimmy's picture, I knew it was bad news.
It would take more space than I have to tell you of all of his great accomplishments in fire safety and public education. An obituary follows below. Chief Tommy Musgrove remarked at his funeral this past Sunday, "If the world was populated with Jimmy's, it would be a perfect place."
In 1959, Chief Jarboe was hired as a career firefighter with the City of Takoma Park, a career that spanned A-early 30 years. Following his retirement in 1988, he continued serving the department as a volunteer and as a recognized state and national leader in public safety education. Chief Jarboe was awarded the Firefighter of the Year honor in 1993 by the Maryland State Firemen’s Association.
Together, with his late father, AJ, and deceased brothers John, William, Robert and Theodore, they combined for nearly 150 years of service with the Takoma Park Volunteer Fire Department.
Throughout his career, Chief Jarboe received many awards and accolades for his innovative approach to teaching fire and injury safety to both the young and the old. In 2004, Jimmy was named to the Maryland State Firemen’s Association Hall of Fame and recipient of the Marberry F. Gates Service Cup Award in recognition of his devotion to public safety.
In his “spare” time, Chief Jarboe served on many state and county fire safety committees as well as the City of Takoma Park Independence Day committee. He loved to interact with children and adults, especially during his many years of volunteer service at the Montgomery County Fair.
Chief Jarboe was also a life member and officer with the Takoma Park Lions Club, where he coordinated the club’s participation in the annual Halloween parade, Thanksgiving Day meals for families, and the Toys of Tots program.
James Jarboe was born and raised in Takoma Park, Maryland and graduated from Montgomery Blair High School. He served in the US Army as an MP. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Barbara.
1 comment:
I had the pleasure of working with Jimmy for some seventeen years at Takoma Park as a fellow fire fighter, as his instructor in the many classes in which he took part, and above all for some 60 pus years as a friend. After leaving Takoma Park for a Chiefs position in Wisconson, we maintained a long distance friendship by phone and email.. Jimmy always excelled in any course in fire fighting, equipment operation, tactics and officer training. He will be sorely missed by the Takoma Park Volunteer Fire Department for many years to come It goes without saying, I to shall miss our frequent phone calls. I extend my condolences to his family, and close friends in his loss.
Karl Kearns
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