Remembering Chief McIntire

CHIEF THOMAS N. MCINTIRE, JR.  (1925 – 2019) – Saturday morning) we were saddened to hear of the passing of Chief Thomas N. McIntire, Jr.  Born in Elkton on January 16, 1925, the 94-year-old died peacefully at home on Dec. 14. 2019.

Coming of age at a time that demanded an enormous sacrifice from the nation’s youth, he served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.   During those troubling times, the young man with a strong sense of heritage, duty, and sacrifice in the service of others also joined the Singerly Fire Company, being appointed a probationary member on May 4, 1942.  After returning home from the Navy, he rose through the ranks of the fire department serving as assistant chief for many years in the decades that followed. 

The World War II Veteran, moreover, started on the crime beat in August 1951 as a patrolman for the Elkton Police Department.  At a time when the Town wanted to move forward with modernizing its police force, the mayor and commissioners appointed him Chief of Police in 1962.  After successfully guiding the law enforcement agency into the modern era of police work, the chief retired in 1980.  Although he stepped away from police work, he was not ready to retire; a second career in the criminal justice system as the supervising District Court Commissioner awaited him.

In the fire department, Chief McIntire was second in command at some of Maryland’s largest disasters.  On a Sunday night in December 1963, a Pan American Jet crashed at the edge of town, taking 81 lives.  The Chief rushed to the scene with Chief slaughters and the Elkton firefighters.   Once it was determined that there were no survivors and the rescue response turned into a days-long recovery operation, the chief returned to town.  There he coordinated the response of the officers taking care of pressing needs around the edge of the debris field.  Traffic jammed all the roads in town, the FBI was coming in, a morgue had to be set-up,  and a perimeter established,” the chief recalled during an interview with the Singerly Listening Station a few years ago.

 

Another time in October 1965, a fireball loomed high up into the sky at the edge of the town, almost looking like a mushroom cloud.  “A freight train containing chemical and petroleum tankers jumped the tracks and there was an enormous explosion. We had to evacuate a portion of the town because of the fear of explosions and the size of that fire,” the chief recalled.

Chief McIntire taught many in the next generation the ropes in fire suppression as they started riding the backstep of an engine and grabbing hoses to rush inside burning buildings for the first time. As a junior officer and assistant chief, he was often at their side, passing along the practical skills of a veteran, Navy firefighter to a new group of rookies. The Chief’s strong leadership style developed the generation that was coming on in the 1960s.

In addition to rushing to take charge of all types of Elkton emergencies for most of his adult life, the chief also served the fire company in many administrative posts, including as a director, vice-president, and long-term chairman of the annual stockholders meeting.

Leaving a long-lasting legacy of public service and commitment to the community, pursuits he stuck with since his teenage ages, the chief had a central role in protecting the community for over half-a-century.  He is remembered as a dedicated public servant, a great leader, a friend, and a boss by many.  Chief you will be missed.