Three men carry on family firefighting legacy

DOWAGIAC — For nearly 40 years, Dowagiac’s Bob Jones has selflessly put his life on the line to protect his community as a volunteer firefighter.

He was just 17 years old when he joined the ranks of the Sister Lakes Fire Department, where he volunteered for nearly a decade.

After serving his country as a member of the Marine Corps, Jones returned to Dowagiac and joined the Indian Lake Fire Department in 1988, where he continues to serve as assistant chief to this day.

Still, when his son Justin enrolled in fire training classes when he turned 18 years old, no one was more surprised than his father.

He was even more astonished when his youngest son, Robert, followed suit when he turned 17.

“I never thought my children would ever get involved in firefighting,” Bob said. “You’re dealing with a dangerous profession, and it’s not for everybody.”

For nearly 10 years, both Bob and Justin have worked together, both serving as volunteers at Indian Lake and Pokagon Fire Departments. Robert, meanwhile, has served the past seven years as a firefighter at his father’s former post, Sister Lakes Fire Department.

“He’s always marched to the beat of a different drummer, so he went to another department,” Bob joked.

All three men are continuing the legacy of service to the people Michiana left by Jones’ father, Robert, who served as a firefighter with the Benton Harbor Fire Department for 25 years. When he was just in kindergarten, his family lived only a block-and-a-half away from the station, where Bob became a regular visitor, like many other boys his age.

“As a young kid, if I ever got in trouble, my mom just pointed me down the road and said ‘go see your father,” Bob recalled. “I didn’t make a whole lot of those trips, but when I did that block sure seemed like it went for a mile.”

When Bob got older, the family moved near Round Lake in the Sister Lakes community. He eventually landed a summer job with Pitcher Plumbing and Heating, which was then owned by Pat Pitcher, who also served as the chief of the Sister Lakes Fire Department.

“Whenever we would hear the sirens go off, the rest of the guys, who also served on the department, jumped in the van and headed toward the station,” Bob said. “It only took a few times of that happening for me to say, ‘this is stupid for me to sit here by myself. I guess I might as well join them and make myself useful.’”

His father, though, was not exactly thrilled with the prospect of his son continuing the family business, especially on a volunteer department, which had a lot looser training standards back in those days, Bob said.

 

Despite his father’s warning, Bob signed up for the department, setting him on his career of firefighting that continues to this day.

“There’s an old saying: if not you, then who?” he said. “There’s just not that many people who have the time or desire to commit so much of themselves to the job.”

Like their father, Justin and Robert can’t even remember a time they weren’t surrounded by the sights and sounds of the Indian Lake Fire Station. They spent so much of their youth around their father’s second-job that Justin said he learned how to operate a fire engine by the time he was 12.

“We were always around,” Justin said. “It was like our second home. Whenever Dad was here, we were here as well.”

Already living, eating and breathing the firefighter lifestyle, when the brothers became old enough to sign up for basic training they leapt at the opportunity to join their father’s ranks. Despite their father’s warnings (similar to the one their grandfather gave him years earlier) they both were determined to serve their community.

“There was never any doubt in my mind,” Robert said.

Experiencing firsthand the extreme heat, billowing smoke and other dangers of a raging fire has given the Jones brothers a new understanding of what their father faced, of what he was doing during all the evenings he sacrificed when the brothers were children.

“You’re going to someone’s worst day and you’re trying to make it better,” Robert said.

Their passion for service continues to burn as bright as ever. One needs to simply look at the tattoos of the Maltese cross on their left arms to see that.

“We don’t see a penny for the work we do, and we’re proud of that fact,” Justin said. “It’s for the community.”

With both of his sons becoming third-generation public servants, Bob realizes how his own father must have felt, knowing his flesh and blood are putting themselves in the same dangers he has faced for most of his life. As Indian Lake, Pokagon and Sister Lakes Fire Departments are typically all on scene whenever a major fire breaks out, it’s not unusual for all three Jones men to be together at once, dealing with a crisis.

“It scares the hell out of you the first time you’re dealing with a dangerous fire and you know your kids are there as well,” Bob said.

Even when performing different tasks on the field, the family keeps an eye on each other whenever possible, Justin said.

“It’s also something in the back on your mind,” he said. “Alright, where’s my brother? What’s he doing?’ Unfortunately, the situation can go wrong very quickly.”

It’s not just the physical risks that firefighters contend with in the line of duty, though, as they must also deal with the emotional toll the job takes as well when dealing with accidents involving victims who are killed or seriously injured.

“When dealing with cases like that, you want to take the hurt away, not just from the people you save but from your fellow firefighters, especially when they’re your kids,” Bob said.

Despite his worries, Bob feels more pride in his sons’ service than anything else. Seeing their growth, as both firefighters and as people, has been a tremendous experience for him.

“It’s been really nice,” he said. “Most fathers bond with their kids playing catch; I bond with mine fighting fires. It’s a pretty unique experience.”