Q&A with Battle Creek Fire Chief Bush McCarthy

On rising calls, community connections and a new Station No. 2

By Nick J. Buckley / Downtown Battle Creek Zine

Bush McCarthy joined the Battle Creek Fire Department in 2008 after attending Albion College, working in human resources and completing the fire academy. He became chief as emergency calls approached 10,000 annually and the city began replacing two aging fire stations.

Downtown Battle Creek Zine spoke with McCarthy about his path into the fire service, the department’s changing role and its next chapter.

The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity:

Downtown Battle Creek Zine (DBCZ): What brought you to Battle Creek and into the fire service?

Bush McCarthy: “I’m not from Battle Creek. My family moved around. My dad was in the hotel business, so we moved around the United States quite a bit, but he’s from Battle Creek, so this was kind of our vacation spot. My grandparents had a house on Goguac (Lake), so anytime we had a vacation, we never traveled anywhere except for Battle Creek.

“I came up, went to Albion College and really liked staying in this area. My grandma was the first one who told me the fire department was hiring. I’d gone through the fire academy already, so I applied for the fire department back in 2006 and got hired in 2008. I’ve been here ever since.

“When I graduated from college, I had a desk job doing human resources and realized that desk work was not for me. I kind of had the epiphany of, ‘You know what? I should go to the fire academy.’ My girlfriend, who’s now my wife, was still up here. I worked as a manager at Lowe’s, volunteered at a fire department and then got the full-time job here. It kind of fell into place. It wasn’t the initial intent, but I was excited about it.”

DBCZ: How has the work changed since you joined the department?

McCarthy: “We’re on track to hit about 10,000 calls this year. When I hired in, we were at about 5,000. I think a lot of it has changed from the medical perspective. That’s the majority — probably about 75% of our calls are medical calls.

“The fire department, as it always has been, is a catch-all for a lot of people. When somebody calls dispatch and they’re just really not sure what to do, their first call is to the fire department: ‘Do you guys think you can go take a look at this?’”

DBCZ: Why is it important for firefighters to be visible in the community outside of emergencies?

McCarthy: “I’d rather have people meet us before they need us, and that we’re out in the community finding out what people want. We’re their fire department. This shouldn’t be a secret. You want to come down to a fire station? Come down to a fire station. We’ll give you a tour.”

DBCZ: What will the new and renovated fire stations mean for firefighters and community safety?

McCarthy: “What I keep telling the guys is they’re going to walk into this fire station and see things and be like, ‘This is bougie. This is too much.’ We’re like, ‘No, you’re just not used to it. This is actually what you should have had the entire time.’

“There’s the safety aspect of the new stations: dividing where your turnout gear stays, having a decontamination room where things get cleaned, and then having the actual clean side where the living quarters are. I think the community is making a good investment.”

DBCZ: You became chief as the department entered a period of major transition. How do you see your place in it?

McCarthy: “I have come in at a great time because a lot of things were laid before I got into the position. I think it really comes down to the people who have bought into the idea of getting through all of this. I keep telling everybody, ‘Just stay flexible.’ Every time a station opens, we have to change responses.

“We’ve got a few years where people need to stay flexible and have a little grace as we’re going through all this, because it’s new for all of us. We haven’t built a station since 1970.”

This article originally appeared in Downtown Battle Creek Zine and is republished with permission.