When Bradley Reese started at Odessa Fire Rescue, a steady paycheck was foremost in his mind. He and his wife, Hope, were expecting a baby and oilfield work was too unpredictable. He never dreamed what was in store for him.
“Within a few months I had that feeling of ‘OK, I was meant for this. I belong.’ I just felt comfortable being here,” Reese said.
There’s a brotherhood within the fire service and he felt that immediately, Reese said.
“I loved that I was part of a big team, part of a family,” he said.
Now 18 years later, Reese is one of three assistant chiefs within the OFR. On Oct. 31, Reese stepped into the shoes of administrative assistant chief Joey White, who retired after serving with the department 30 years.
Reese, who was born in Odessa and grew up in Andrews, will oversee internal affairs within the department, handle emergency management when crises hit and oversee the department’s safety review board. He’ll be liaising with emergency dispatchers, the city’s IT department and a large number of community organizations, such as the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army.
Originally, Reese wanted to become a law enforcement officer, but he missed the academy deadline. A neighbor, who was going through the fire academy, suggested he might like to try the fire service. He thought he’d give it a try, but unlike many, who start out as a firefighter/emergency medical technician and then become a paramedic, Reese became a paramedic before taking the job.
Over the years, he’s risen through the ranks while also pursuing an education. He has an associate’s degree in emergency medical services from Odessa College, a bachelor’s degree in emergency management from West Texas A&M and a master’s in public administration from Columbia Southern University.
During the worst of the pandemic, Reese was a division captain and worked with the hospital and Ector County to coordinate testing and vaccinations.
Reese said he owes a debt of gratitude to a handful of men he’s worked with at the OFR: White, Tanner Drake, former Chief Roger Boyd and current Chief John Alvarez.
When he came on board OFR, Drake was a senior captain.
“He kind of gave me a path. He gave me a road map of what it looked like and what he had done,” Reese said. “He really pushed education on me and getting certifications. (He said) ‘You really want to take each step. Don’t miss out on opportunities.’ He really instilled that into me as a rookie and I followed his advice and I actually told him that the other day.”
Over the last five years, White took him under his wing, Reese said.
“He mentored me the whole time he was in this spot and he allowed me to be part of a lot of the emergency management things that he was doing at the time. That kind of sparked my interest in this spot if there was an opportunity. I credit a lot of my success to him just being willing to let me kind of be nosy and get involved,” Reese said.
“Chief Alvarez has been excellent to me. He’s believed in me for many years now. I am kind of young in the eyes of the fire department and moving up into some of the positions that I did. He took a chance on me every time. Chief Boyd prior to him really believed in me. When I became a captain, I was barely eligible to be a captain and I was very young to be a captain and Chief Boyd believed in me and gave me that opportunity,” Reese said. “After he retired, Chief Alvarez took over, and he’s just continued to help me out … I just can’t say enough about Chief Alvarez. He’s been excellent for us.”
Although he’s not working shifts anymore, Reese said he hopes he can maintain the relationships he’s developed over the years. He’d also like to be the sort of mentor he’s had.
Once he’s more acclimated to his position, Reese said he’d like to continue a tradition started by White.
“He picked a different crew every Wednesday and rode with them and had dinner with them,” Reese said. “I don’t want to get disconnected from what goes on out there. I think that’s important for the administration to keep those relationships strong. I really want them to know that I’m here for anything they need, any way I can provide tools and guidance or leadership. Hope they know they can come to me.”
Having traveled for various trainings, Reese said he has come to realize OFR measures up quite well to the bigger cities and he looks forward to doing what he can in his new position to continue the tradition of excellence.
“We do a lot of calls here. I think what we talk about a lot around here is there’s nobody else coming,” Reese said. “When we have emergencies, we’re the last call. Out in these other bigger metro areas, they have a lot of mutual aid, a lot of departments and a lot of help. You can dump lots of people on scenes. Out here we’re it. That’s kind of a pride thing for us. We’re all we’ve got, we need to be good and we need to be ready.”
Public service runs in his family and he’s looking forward to whatever the future holds for him, Reese said.
His sisters are medical professionals and his brother is a police officer.
Now, his son, Caleb, has expressed an interest in following in his footsteps.
“He just turned 18 and he came and did a ride out,” Reese said. “He’s like, ‘Man, Dad, I really liked this.’”
