The Odessa American recently took part in an opportunity to photograph a day in the life of one of Odessa Fire Rescue’s battalion chiefs as part of their ride along program. Battalion Chief Bobby White is the department’s B shift supervisor and has spent a total of 23 years as a firefighter. White spends two days out of every six monitoring equipment, vehicles and staff across eight fire stations as well as responding to high priority calls to ensure the safety of the citizens of Ector County as well as first responders. The Odessa American began following Battalion Chief White on the second day of his 48-hour shift Wednesday, November 10, where he carried out daily meetings, monitored department training and responded to three separate tractor-truck rollovers along a short stretch of Interstate 20.
1 of 28
Odessa Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Bobby White walks past the Personal Accountability board as he brings paperwork back to his office Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 at OFR Central Station. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
Odessa Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Bobby White drives code 3 to the scene of a rollover along eastbound Interstate 20 on the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 in Odessa. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
Odessa Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Bobby White looks over the scene of a rollover on the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 at 11600 West eastbound Interstate 20. The rollover was the first call of the morning for White and the driver of the semi-truck escaped the wreck seemingly uninjured. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
Odessa Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Bobby White, right, inspects a leaking side saddle gas tank with the captain of OFR’s Station 7 Eric Jacquez at the scene of a rollover on Interstate 20 the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 in West Odessa. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
Battalion Chief Bobby White, second from right, and members of Odessa Fire Rescue’s Station 7 survey the scene of a rollover on Interstate 20 the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 in West Odessa. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
Station 7 Captain Eric Jacquez, left, and firefighter Raul Mendoza attempt to plug a leaking gas tank on the scene of a rollover on Interstate 20 on the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 in West Odessa. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
Station 7 Firefighter-Paramedic Josh White, left, talks with Battalion Chief Bobby White (no relation) as they survey the scene of a semi-truck rollover on Interstate 20 on the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 in West Odessa. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
Odessa Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Bobby White hosts a virtual morning staff meeting with the captains of each fire station after returning from a run Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 at Central Fire Station. Each morning the battalion chief on duty hosts a morning meeting to discuss the status of the department’s assets and staffing needs. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
St. John’s Episcopal School teacher Glenda George embraces Odessa Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Bobby White as he visits the school for their Hometown Heroes event Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 in Odessa. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
Firefighter-paramedic Ben Denney, center, and his partner firefighter-paramedic Bryce Smith, not pictured, give St. John’s Episcopal School students a tour of their ambulance as they visit the school for their Hometown Heroes event Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 in Odessa. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
Odessa Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Bobby White takes downs information while on a phone call with a repair shop Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 in Odessa. In addition to responding to priority-one calls across Odessa, on-duty battalion chiefs also manage the various logistical needs of the department including keeping track of equipment and vehicles on call and in service. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
Odessa Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Bobby White, right, talks with his brother and Assistant Fire Chief Joey White between meetings Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 at Central Fire Station. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
From left, Odessa Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Bobby White attends a morning staff meeting with Division Captain Jason Cotton, Assistant Chief Rodd Huber, Fire Chief John Alvarez and Assistant Chief Joey White Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021, at Central Fire Station. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
Odessa Fire Rescue Paramedic Training Captain Danny Chavez, right, leads the fire department, medical directors and emergency dispatchers in an EMS quality assurance training Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 at Central Fire Station. The quality assurance training encompasses the initial emergency call to the paramedic’s treatment and outcome at the hospital after the paramedics have left. Firefighter-paramedics are graded on their appropriate response, treatment, and documentation of the call in their reports. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
Firefighter-paramedic Steven Ponce De Leon, far left, listens to the 911 dispatcher recording of one of his emergency calls while undergoing EMS quality assurance training Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 at Odessa Fire Rescue’s Central Fire Station. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
Odessa Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Bobby White, right, talks with firefighter-paramedic Johnny Jimenez shortly before his exit interview Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 at Central Fire Station. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
Station 7 engineer Nathan Tells puts on his bunker gear as he prepares to take part in mayday training with his crew Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 at the Odessa Fire Rescue Training Facility. Mayday training prepares firefighters to rescue a trapped, injured or missing firefighter while responding to an emergency and to also identify the situations for when a mayday call is needed. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
Odessa Fire Rescue firefighters enter their Fire Facilities Fire Training Tower to practice mayday drills during their shift Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 at the OFR training facility. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
Odessa Fire Rescue Fire Training Captain Kris Norred, center, briefs firefighters from station 7 after going through a mayday drill Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 at the OFR training facility. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
From left, Central Station Captain Austin Yocham, firefighter-paramedic Austin Shaffer and firefighter-paramedic Nolan Weatherford relax in the station’s TV room shortly before dinner Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 at Central Fire Station. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
Station 7 firefighter-paramedic Raul Mendoza and engineer Nathan Tells soak up spilled fluids with cat litter following a rollover on Interstate 20 on the afternoon of Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 in West Odessa. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
Odessa Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Bobby White and Division Captain Jason Cotton, right, inspect the scene of a semi-truck rollover Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 at 11600 West eastbound Interstate 20. Battalion Chief White and Station 7 responded to the incident, the second rollover of the day, mere yards from a previous rollover incident earlier that day. The semi-truck was carrying a payload of approximately 300 gallons liquid methane, allowing the emergency response crews to safely clear the scene without unloading the 8,000 gallon load it had been carrying minutes earlier. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
Odessa Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Bobby White gives an after action report with members of Station 7 after their response to a semi-truck rollover on the eastbound lane of West Interstate 20 Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 in West Odessa. The rollover was self contained and the driver of the semi-truck was not injured in the accident. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
The members of Odessa Fire Rescue’s Central Fire Station eat dinner together in the station’s kitchen Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 in Odessa. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
Odessa Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Bobby White talks with a Texas DPS trooper as they respond to the scene of a third rollover on a stretch of Interstate 20 Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 in West Odessa. In all, Battalion Chief White and Station 7 responded to three separate rollover incidents on Interstate 20, one in the morning and two in the evening. No motorists including the drivers of the tractor-trucks were injured in the rollovers. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
Station 7 firefighter-paramedic Raul Mendoza, left, talks to the driver of a 18-wheeler as they respond to the scene of a rollover on eastbound West Interstate 20 Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 in West Odessa. The rollover was third of the day that White and Station 7 responded to, with all accidents occurring within a short distance of each other. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
Odessa Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Bobby White, far right, talks with members of the West Odessa Volunteer Fire Department as they clear the scene of a semi-truck rollover on eastbound West interstate 20 Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 in West Odessa. In all, Battalion Chief White and Station 7 responded to three separate rollover incidents on Interstate 20, one in the morning and two in the evening, and all within 1-mile of each other. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
From left, Braxton Morris, 14, Ben Denney, Josh Herron and Nolan Weatherford play pickleball as the day unwinds Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 at Central Fire Station. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)
