By FireRescue1 Staff
BAYTOWN, Texas —A fire marshal and assistant chief died Thursday while on duty.
Baytown Sun reported that Baytown Fire Department Assistant Chief and Fire Marshal Bernard Olive died. A cause of death was not released.
Chief Olive was the most tenured member of the department with almost 49 years of service. He was also a veteran of the U.S. Army’s 565th Medical Ambulance Company.
In a 2014 interview, Olive said he hopes the community will remember that he tried to make Baytown a better place.
“I believe that a city is as good as its people and that’s why I chose to live in Baytown and have my career in Baytown,” he said. “The city is growing and with any city that is growing, there are growing pains. But it takes men and women to see that those pains dissolve, and growth and prosperity continues.”
“Words cannot fully express how sad we are to lose our friend,” Mayor Stephen DonCarlos said, according to a Facebook post from the fire department. “Bernard was a good man who loved serving his hometown. Our prayers go out to his family, the Baytown Fire Department and our city family. He will be deeply missed.”