Say good-bye to Chief Pye event Sept. 16
After 31 years of service to the local community, North Fort Myers Fire Chief Terry Pye is retiring.
There will be a special “Say Good-bye to Chief Pye” event Friday, Sept. 16, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Station 4 on Trail Dairy Circle.
“We wanted it go throughout the day so more could attend, to accommodate everyones schedules.” said Office Manager Monique Brooks.
And many are expected. Pye is one of the most respected and well-liked members of the community, many have said, not only because of his dedication to the fire department but also for his genuine care of community organizations and community members.
For many years he has been a member of and supported the North Fort Myers Civic Association, the North Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club of North Fort Myers and the Suncoast Estates Task Force – just to name a few organizations.
For years he’s spoken to local children on fire safety, and to residents in down-to-earth terms on emergency preparedness, while heading toy drives for children in the area.
He sang, did gymnastics and was “arrested” by Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott as a Celebrity Waiter for the chamber’s largest annual fund-raiser. A private man, he even kissed his wife and made a speech about her in front of the crowd on a “bet” to raise funds.
His wife Darlene has been by his side at more than a few events. A well-known and respected community supporter herself, “If it wasn’t for my wife, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” he said.
Pye has four children – Tara, Katie, Jarrod and Jamie – and he has five grandchildren.
So many know and have personally met Pye from his frequent presence in the community.
“Part of being the fire chief is giving back to the community any way you can – being helpful. It’s easy to give back because you see the need,” he said.
“Chief Pye and the entire North Fort Myers Fire Department are Suncoast’s heros,” said Susie Gillespie of the Suncoast Estates Task Force and Community Center. “He’s supported us through all of our events, been a real partner, and our children look up to him. I’ve known and worked with him for 31 years, and it will be very hard to say good-bye. I only wish him God’s greatest gifts on this part of his journey.”
Pye is also well liked by his staff and superiors, such as the fire commissioners board.
“Under his leadership the fire department has grown,” said Fire Commission Vice Chairman Danny Ballard. “Terry has always been wise with money and he will definitely be missed.”
Pye has spent his entire career in North Fort Myers. He started in 1977 volunteering for the fire district, and was hired full-time in 1980. From there he was promoted to engineer and in 1993, he became the Assistant Chief of Training.
In 1996, he was promoted to co-chief with Dan LaBelle, then finally to fire chief in 2001. Pye’s entire career in the fire service has been served with the North Fort Myers Fire District.
During his career, he not only served the local community – he actively served the entire Lee County area. He is currently a member of the Lee County Fire Chiefs Association, Florida Fire Chiefs Association and the International Fire Chiefs Association.
Pye is the chaplain for the Lee County Fire Chiefs Association, and is also incident commander for the Caloosahatchee Incident Management Region.
His is also an active member of his church, Grace Baptist Temple.
One of the things he said he is most proud of was helping in the formation of our local Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT).
“I was approached by Buccaneer Estates – Cheryl Diamond and Geannie Basak – about forming CERT locally,” he said. “CERT has been a blessing from the very first class at Buccaneer and how it has grown over the years. The true assistance they are to the community is wonderful.”
Frank Millette of Tara Woods is the current CERT coordinator for North Fort Myers and specifically for Tara Woods.
“This was Chief Pye’s baby after 9/11, it was basically for the communities – about 25 that have CERT teams. He was the promoter of the program so that when local emergency responders are overwhelmed, then CERT trained people can carry on until the responders can get to them (local residents). He’s very sincere, he’ll listen to you. He’s an all-around nice guy.”
Serving during emergencies – hurricanes, flooding and brush fires – has always been a big built-in part of his leadership and service.
Fighting brush fires has always been a local priority for the fire department. “On brush fires, we’ve had too many – too many large ones,” Pye said.
On hurricanes, he said, “Charley was both a curse and a blessing. The curse was the damage it did to our area, the blessing was seeing the members of the fire department come together as a wonderful working team.”
Coordinating the pulling of resources both to here and out to other areas was a big part of his job.
“I’ve been fortunate to be part of that Incident Management Team for the county, and that is equal to any team in the state of Florida.”
Concerning his dedicated staff, he said he will miss them tremendously.
“It’s an old cliche, but true,” said Assistant Chief Chris Noble, who will be the new chief. “It is going to be hard to fill his shoes.”
Of Noble’s appointment chief, Pye said, “He’ll do a great job. I feel it will be a seamless transition. He s more than qualified to do the job.”
Many department members have wanted to thank Pye. Capt. John Manson said, “Thanks for giving me my start in the fire service.”
“It has been an honor and a privilege to work with Chief Pye, and he is truly an inspiration to me, in all areas of my life,” said Office Manager Brooks. “There is no other person like him. It has been really hard for me to acknowledge his retirement, because I am still in denial, and it brings tears to my eyes when I think about it.”
Concerning his service, Pye said, “I have countless memories.”
Of what he will do when he formally retires soon, he said, “I don’t have a clue
“I do fish, play golf and ice hockey.”
The one thing he won’t miss? “It will be nice not to listen to the radio. It never gets turned off.”
Look for more well-wishes in the Sept. 21 issue of The North Fort Myers Neighbor, after the party.
The “Say Good-bye to Chief Pye” event will be held at Station 4, 2900 Trail Dairy Circle. For information, call 997-8654.