MANATEE — Thomas F. Hennessy joined the ranks of the Oneco-Tallevast Volunteer Fire Department in 1980, and a year later became only its fifth paid member. The department had only one firehouse at that time, located on a dead-end road on 60th Avenue West.
When he retires June 12, he will leave behind a department providing fire protection for a 32-square-mile area stretching from the Bradenton city limits in the north to the Sarasota County line in the south and from First Street in the west to Interstate 75 in the east. The department has grown to include five fire stations, an administrative center and 92 employees.
Oneco-Tallevast became Southern Manatee Fire Rescue in 1990 after merging with the Samoset department.
Hennessy, 52, has served as chief of Southern Manatee since 2001, and has chaired each of the county’s 9/11 memorial services in honor of the victims and first responders of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
“That was the point of the memorials, that the people in this area don’t forget the events of 9/11 or the emergency responders who risk their lives every day,” Hennessy said Monday, from Southern Manatee’s newest station on Honore Road.
With his retirement this year, he will be able to attend anniversary services for the first time at ground zero at the World Trade Center.
“I lost a few friends in the towers,” Hennessy said.
He started his career in 1979 as part of the crash fire rescue team at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. He became a volunteer at Oneco-Tallevast while still working at the airport.
“The growth I’ve been able to see in this area over the past 30 years has been phenomenal. It’s been exciting to be part of it,” he said.
At the start of his career, Interstate 75 had not been extended through Manatee County, and University Parkway was still a dirt road.
Byron Teates, chief of East Manatee Fire Rescue, said of Hennessy’s retirement: “Tom and I started about the same time. He’s been a very good friend, a good ally and a good fire chief.”
In 2004, voters in the East Manatee Fire Rescue District — then called Braden River Fire Rescue — approved assessment of property taxes for fire protection needs. At the time, the East Manatee district accounted for about 40 percent of all construction in the county. Hennessy’s advice was sought by East Manatee officials as they attempted to win public support for the new tax.
“They were there for us, what else can you say?” Teates said of the advice from Hennessy.
While Hennessy is preparing to retire from the fire service, he won’t be retiring entirely. He plans to devote more time to a business he owns with a partner that provides safety training for businesses.
“It’s been an emotional roller coaster,” Hennessy said of his decision to retire. “I love the job, I love the people. But I’ve been here 30 years, it’s just time. I would like to do some other stuff in my life and spend more time with my family.”
Southern Manatee fire commissioners have not named a replacement for Hennessy.
James A. Jones Jr., East Manatee editor, can be reached at 739-3550.
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