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After 38 years in firefighting, including more than 26 at the Evanston Fire Department, Captain Tom Howard is hanging up his helmet on a career marked by “professionalism, leadership and an unwavering commitment to public service,” according to his fire department colleagues
On July 8, Howard officially retired from his frontline position as captain, a role he held with the department since June 2023
As a fully certified and longtime member of the MABAS 3 Technical Rescue Team, which provides specialized emergency responses for incidents requiring advanced training in the North Shore, Howard played an essential role for the department’s various rescue efforts
“His TRT capabilities along with his hazmat certifications and mechanical aptitude made him an extremely valuable member during any non-routine incident,” Smith wrote in a department press release regarding Howard’s retirement
“This expertise allowed him to play a critical role during a blind shaft elevator rescue in which he received a Fire Chief’s Letter of Commendation Award.”
In addition to his operational work, Howard reflected that a career highlight for him has been providing behavioral and mental wellness support and education for first responders
Howard said he initially got involved in “peer support” work early in his career, providing counseling to fellow firefighters struggling with their mental health
“Someone would have a rough call, and I would always think to myself, ‘Man, I remember I went through that,’ so I [would] just reach out and see how they were doing,” Howard said
Eventually, Howard got involved with the Illinois Firefighter Peer Support, an organization created to aid the mental and physical health of firefighters
He became executive director of the group in 2017, a position he held until 2022 when he created the First Responder Peer Initiative, which provides education around mental wellness awareness and first responder intervention training
Howard’s “education and experience allowed him to better serve first responders in need,” Smith wrote, “something Tom dedicated his career to ensuring, and he will continue that passion as a retired firefighter.”
“The biggest thing is to help [firefighters] understand how the job changes the way we think,” Howard said
“Because we’re not broken..it changes our thinking patterns and how we see the world, and there’s definitely some downsides, but if you understand what they are, you can learn to manage them, and then you come out healthy, and you come out not only healthy for yourself, but healthy for your family.”
While the job is challenging by nature, it’s a career that’s come with a profound sense of fulfillment and appreciation, Howard noted
“I really enjoyed being a captain, I wish I could have done that sooner,” he added
“But ultimately, it was my 60th birthday last year, and once I got into my 50s, it just got a lot harder.”
It was a place where he made a difference, however
“Evanston was a great place to work,” Howard told Pioneer Press
“If it wasn’t for the residency, I would have stayed in Bridgeview, [Illinois], but being in Evanston was actually, it’s a great place to do the job…there’s such a wide variety of opportunity there.”
Howard began his service career working as a volunteer firefighter for the Willow Springs Fire Department in 1988, later transferring to the Village of Bridgeview in 1993
Having transitioned to this career path after working as a mechanic, Howard said the idea to become a firefighter wasn’t a lifelong dream so much as something he did “on a whim.”
“When I bought my first house, a card came in the mail – the volunteer department was looking for donations, and of course, newly married and a new house, I had no money,” Howard said
“But I thought, ‘Oh, I wonder if I could volunteer,’ and that’s kind of how it started. I really got my foundation there, and then I saw there were other people there that did [the job] full-time, and I’m like, ‘All right, well, how do you do that?’”
Following six and a half years working as a firefighter in Bridgeview, Howard transferred to the Evanston Fire Department in December 1999, being promoted to various leadership roles throughout his tenure, including fire apparatus operator in January 2008 and then captain in 2023
Howard said following his retirement he’s looking forward to working as a chaplain for the local fire department in Sterling, Illinois, where he now resides with his family
He said he also plans to finish writing a book on peer support for firefighters across Illinois
The work will serve as a “collection of teaching points to help other firefighters learn and understand how this profession affects them and how to manage those effects in a healthy way.”
