Captain Harold A. "Tony" Bacon, Novato Fire Protection District (1939-2014)
Harold A. “Tony” Bacon, 75, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, June 11, 2014, at HealthCenter Northwest in Kalispell, Montana.
Tony, as he was known to family and friends, was the eldest child of three, born to Harold E. Bacon and Victoria E. Bacon on March 16, 1939, in Morristown, N.J.
Tony grew up in Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, and it was here as a little boy that his love for the fire service began. He lived across from the Mountain Lakes Rural Fire Department and considered the fire house his second home. As he got older, the firemen would teach him how to operate fire trucks and equipment, and ultimately he joined the fire department as a volunteer firefighter, beginning what would become a dream career in the fire service.
In the mid 1960s, Tony moved from New Jersey to California to begin a job with the Western Fire Equipment Company. While working there he became a volunteer firefighter in the town of Novato, Calif. After nearly two decades of working for Western Fire, he decided to become a full-time firefighter. He worked for Novato Fire Protection District for 22 years, rising to the rank of captain.
Tony's love of teaching, promoting and mentoring safe and effective firefighting techniques ultimately grew into a passion. He partnered with other firefighters to start Fire Management Systems which taught various fire suppression techniques to other fire agencies throughout the western United States, including the National Park Service. It is through his many years of teaching fire behavior classes that Tony made an unimaginable amount of great friends, co-workers, brothers and sisters in the fire service.
He retired from the Novato Fire Protection District in 2002, and moved to Libby, Montana and continued to teach through Fire Management Systems. He joined numerous rural volunteer fire departments in the greater northwest territory of Montana, ultimately becoming the battalion chief of Bull Lake Volunteer Fire Department. He played an integral part in developing an inter-agency firefighter academy and integrating the mutual aid system throughout the volunteer firefighting community.
He was preceded in death by his parents, and a sister, Jacqueline M. Clemens. Survivors include his wife, Alene R. Bacon, of Libby; a daughter, Suzanne L. Bacon of Elk Grove, Calif.; a son, Thomas M. Bacon of Lewiston, Idaho; grandsons, Robert A. Ashford and Tristan K.T. Bacon-Deming; a brother, James R. Bacon of Massachusetts; in-laws, Jerry and Margaret Wallace of Troy, and Keith and Ruth Aguirre of Petaluma, Calif.; and numerous nephews, nieces and cousins.
Tony, as he was known to family and friends, was the eldest child of three, born to Harold E. Bacon and Victoria E. Bacon on March 16, 1939, in Morristown, N.J.
Tony grew up in Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, and it was here as a little boy that his love for the fire service began. He lived across from the Mountain Lakes Rural Fire Department and considered the fire house his second home. As he got older, the firemen would teach him how to operate fire trucks and equipment, and ultimately he joined the fire department as a volunteer firefighter, beginning what would become a dream career in the fire service.
In the mid 1960s, Tony moved from New Jersey to California to begin a job with the Western Fire Equipment Company. While working there he became a volunteer firefighter in the town of Novato, Calif. After nearly two decades of working for Western Fire, he decided to become a full-time firefighter. He worked for Novato Fire Protection District for 22 years, rising to the rank of captain.
Tony's love of teaching, promoting and mentoring safe and effective firefighting techniques ultimately grew into a passion. He partnered with other firefighters to start Fire Management Systems which taught various fire suppression techniques to other fire agencies throughout the western United States, including the National Park Service. It is through his many years of teaching fire behavior classes that Tony made an unimaginable amount of great friends, co-workers, brothers and sisters in the fire service.
He retired from the Novato Fire Protection District in 2002, and moved to Libby, Montana and continued to teach through Fire Management Systems. He joined numerous rural volunteer fire departments in the greater northwest territory of Montana, ultimately becoming the battalion chief of Bull Lake Volunteer Fire Department. He played an integral part in developing an inter-agency firefighter academy and integrating the mutual aid system throughout the volunteer firefighting community.
He was preceded in death by his parents, and a sister, Jacqueline M. Clemens. Survivors include his wife, Alene R. Bacon, of Libby; a daughter, Suzanne L. Bacon of Elk Grove, Calif.; a son, Thomas M. Bacon of Lewiston, Idaho; grandsons, Robert A. Ashford and Tristan K.T. Bacon-Deming; a brother, James R. Bacon of Massachusetts; in-laws, Jerry and Margaret Wallace of Troy, and Keith and Ruth Aguirre of Petaluma, Calif.; and numerous nephews, nieces and cousins.
Tony Bacon (left) and Galen Warren (right) take a break from the NPS structural fire history project to visit the Wildland Firefighters Monument at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.
From The National Park Service Fire and Aviation Management Division, Fire Prevention Week 2013
“Double Doughnuts and Gatorade”… A story of two National Park Service Structural Fire Icons
by Kathy Komatz, NPS Structural Fire Training Specialist
There are always those who have walked the fireground before us. What they learned for the first time is now common knowledge. Tools they invented are now as common as a blue sky in the southwestern United States. It was in the National Park Service Southwest (SW) Region, as it was known at the time, where the NPS Structural Fire Training Program began.
To capture and record the stories of this program’s birth, Tony Bacon and Galen Warren traveled to Boise to take part in an oral history project. These two firefighters, old friends, and founding fathers had not seen each other for many years. Once they were in a room together, we turned on the video camera, and sat back and enjoyed their reflections of the early days of the program. What follows is a bit more about them, and some of the highlights of their conversation.
Tony Bacon: A firefighter and training officer for the Novato Fire District in California. He is a stickler for teaching to standards and keeps safety as a top priority.
Galen Warren: An Air Force firefighter and fire investigator hired by the NPS in 1976 at the SW Regional office in Santa Fe, NM as a safety technician. He puts safety at the forefront and saw a need and opportunity to build the foundation for a future NPS Structural Fire Training Program.
“When Tony and I first met, structural fire was a slip-on engine (Type 6) and a hope and a prayer and the rangers out there doing what they can” recalled Galen Warren. It was at the New Mexico State Fire Academy he introduced himself to Tony Bacon, who was teaching ventilation. Galen also remembers admiring Tony’s “little attack pumper.”
Their synergy would be unstoppable.
In 1977, they taught together again at what is believed to be the first structure fire class for the National Park Service at Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. They taught it again in the spring of 1978 at Fort Union National Monument. Two years later, Tony and Galen were driving back from teaching a structure fire class in Big Bend National Park. Galen was not surprised when Tony said “We can’t just do what we’ve been doing. There has to be levels of training. What are the basic requirements? Who is going to direct all this?”
Galen, desperately wanted to put something on paper to launch a training program, at a minimum, for the Southwest Region. He started to outline what the structure fire training program could look like. They decided on a curriculum and wrote the Southwest regional policy for structural fire that day. This policy would eventually be adopted by all the regions and became national policy in 1987.
Bill Orr from the Seasonal Ranger Academy in Santa Rosa, California called Tony. “We want you to come down and give a little orientation to fire”, Bill said. Tony’s response was “Well, what do you want me to teach about fire exactly?” “Just teach ‘em about fire,” Bill responded. Tony recalls that the training “ended up being a weekend thing.” “The students learned how to use hose out of the hose box, hydrants, and a lot of basic “stuff” like fire behavior, first aid and other assorted odds and ends. “Just enough to keep yourself out of trouble and maybe keep someone else from getting hurt,” said Tony.
Tony continued, “Galen did the hard stuff. He continually politicked to make people stand up and take notice that structural fire training mattered.” As their banter continued, Galen said that ”Tony did the real work,” recalling how Tony would scrounge equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE) from his fire department, box it up and send it down to the training site. When the park didn’t have anything, he would borrow nozzles, packing them up in his suitcase. Parks would call and say “We don’t have any equipment. And we don’t have any hose either.” In the early days, Tony would frequently teach with Galen on his vacation time or days off, often as a volunteer.
Days were rarely shorter than 12 hours. Sometimes, the two pros would sleep in hammocks in the fire department engine bay because there was no money for training, let alone hotel rooms. Their dedication to changing the way the parks, and park rangers, approached structural firefighting was effort that was well spent. Many buildings in the national parks have existed well before the park was established and in some cases hold the history and stories for why that national park was established. Every building also brings the possibility of fires. Traditionally, it was the park ranger that would spring into action when a fire would occur. Many responded without training or the right equipment. Galen and Tony developed an awareness of the need for training, the curriculum, and the early policy that would become the foundation of change for this high-risk program.
In 1990, Rick Gale at the NPS national office recognized that there needed to be someone at the national, regional, and park levels that were dedicated to structural fire safety. Noting the connection between wildland fire and structural fire, funds were allocated to initiate a structural fire program. Jim Farrel was hired as the first structural fire manager and he was stationed at the National Park Service Fire Management Program Center, located in Boise, Idaho.
During the conversations for the oral history project, Tony noted “Galen and I are only a part of a much bigger story here.” Both Tony and Galen wanted to highlight some of the “movers and shakers that deserve credit for rattling the chains of complacency.” Some of the names they highlighted included Ross Hopkins, Dick Powell, and Chris Cameron, as well as those in the field who provided vital encouragement - Jim Northup (Grand Teton National Park), Bill Wright (Big Bend National Park), Todd Brindle (Guadalupe Mountain National Park), Bob Panko (Everglades National Park), Fred Patten (Canyonlands National Park), Scott Lopez (Ozark National Scenic Riverways), Sammy Lyle (Buffalo National River), Gus Martinez (Padre Island National Seashore), Don Cross (Yosemite National Park), Ray Warren (Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks), Hal Spencer, Bill Oswald and Jeff Panetta. “The stories are too numerous to tell.”
In 1980, a young seasonal park ranger took his first structure fire training course at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan. Collateral duty in structural fire response was mandated for all rangers, running drills on the lawn in front of the visitor center. Many years later, Mark Gorman accepted a job at the Fire Management Program Center in Boise, Idaho, managing the structural fire operations program, which includes structural fire training. Inheriting the rich legacy left by Tony and Galen, he has been an instructor for structural fire for many years, passing the knowledge he first learned from Tony and Galen, on to the next generation of NPS structural firefighters and managers.
Want to know what the article title “Double Doughnuts and Gatorade” means? “This was a ‘quip’ we used to acknowledge/praise a squad when a skill was well executed in conjunction with a training assignment. …‘Squad 4 — Double Gatorades…and doughnuts' for the best time in deploying dual attack lines. We had a bunch of these that we used to keep it fun,” said Tony. Everyone that had the pleasure of working with Tony Bacon over the years remembers sayings like these as “Bacon Bits.”
A Short Biography about Tony Bacon:
Tony began his twenty-six year fire service career with the Novato, California Fire Protection District and served to the position of Battalion Chief. While serving with the District, he was assigned as a Division Supervisor with Nor Cal Interagency Incident Management Team No. 2 and was also assigned to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Firescope Curriculum Development Task Force. As an instructor with the California State Fire Service Training and Education System, he earned his Lifetime Teaching Credential from the University of California and instructed at various community colleges throughout northern California.
Tony served as President of the Marin Sonoma Fire Training Officers’ Association and was an active member of the California State Fire Chiefs’–Training Officers’ Northern Section. Tony assisted with development of the National Park Service Structure Fire Training Program and served on National Fire Protection Association Professional Qualifications Standards Committees; as well as with the accreditation committee of the International Fire Service Training Association.
Tony continued to instruct a range of NWCG courses and served as a Division Chief with the Bull Lake Fire District in Lincoln County, Montana, and as a Division Supervisor with the Northern Rockies Western Montana Incident Management Team and was credentialed under the NIMS – ICS, as an All Hazard Specific Instructor under the United States Fire Administration/Emergency Management Institute.
A Short Biography about Galen Warren:
Galen Warren attended Central State University then enlisted in the Air Force and spent two years in Anchorage, Alaska at Elmendorf Air Force Base from January 1971 through December 1972 serving as a firefighter. After a transfer to McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita Kansas, he served as a firefighter then as a fire inspector. Galen attended Wichita State University after being discharged from the Air Force and took a job as a fire Inspector in the Civil Service for the Department of Defense at McConnell Air Force Base.
In 1976 Galen accepted a position as a risk manager with the National Park Service Regional Office in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 1991 became the risk manager in Yellowstone National Park and in 1998 transferred to a satellite office of the Rocky Mountain Regional Office in Salt Lake City, Utah. He retired from the National Park Service in 2002.
“Double Doughnuts and Gatorade”… A story of two National Park Service Structural Fire Icons
by Kathy Komatz, NPS Structural Fire Training Specialist
There are always those who have walked the fireground before us. What they learned for the first time is now common knowledge. Tools they invented are now as common as a blue sky in the southwestern United States. It was in the National Park Service Southwest (SW) Region, as it was known at the time, where the NPS Structural Fire Training Program began.
To capture and record the stories of this program’s birth, Tony Bacon and Galen Warren traveled to Boise to take part in an oral history project. These two firefighters, old friends, and founding fathers had not seen each other for many years. Once they were in a room together, we turned on the video camera, and sat back and enjoyed their reflections of the early days of the program. What follows is a bit more about them, and some of the highlights of their conversation.
Tony Bacon: A firefighter and training officer for the Novato Fire District in California. He is a stickler for teaching to standards and keeps safety as a top priority.
Galen Warren: An Air Force firefighter and fire investigator hired by the NPS in 1976 at the SW Regional office in Santa Fe, NM as a safety technician. He puts safety at the forefront and saw a need and opportunity to build the foundation for a future NPS Structural Fire Training Program.
“When Tony and I first met, structural fire was a slip-on engine (Type 6) and a hope and a prayer and the rangers out there doing what they can” recalled Galen Warren. It was at the New Mexico State Fire Academy he introduced himself to Tony Bacon, who was teaching ventilation. Galen also remembers admiring Tony’s “little attack pumper.”
Their synergy would be unstoppable.
In 1977, they taught together again at what is believed to be the first structure fire class for the National Park Service at Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. They taught it again in the spring of 1978 at Fort Union National Monument. Two years later, Tony and Galen were driving back from teaching a structure fire class in Big Bend National Park. Galen was not surprised when Tony said “We can’t just do what we’ve been doing. There has to be levels of training. What are the basic requirements? Who is going to direct all this?”
Galen, desperately wanted to put something on paper to launch a training program, at a minimum, for the Southwest Region. He started to outline what the structure fire training program could look like. They decided on a curriculum and wrote the Southwest regional policy for structural fire that day. This policy would eventually be adopted by all the regions and became national policy in 1987.
Bill Orr from the Seasonal Ranger Academy in Santa Rosa, California called Tony. “We want you to come down and give a little orientation to fire”, Bill said. Tony’s response was “Well, what do you want me to teach about fire exactly?” “Just teach ‘em about fire,” Bill responded. Tony recalls that the training “ended up being a weekend thing.” “The students learned how to use hose out of the hose box, hydrants, and a lot of basic “stuff” like fire behavior, first aid and other assorted odds and ends. “Just enough to keep yourself out of trouble and maybe keep someone else from getting hurt,” said Tony.
Tony continued, “Galen did the hard stuff. He continually politicked to make people stand up and take notice that structural fire training mattered.” As their banter continued, Galen said that ”Tony did the real work,” recalling how Tony would scrounge equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE) from his fire department, box it up and send it down to the training site. When the park didn’t have anything, he would borrow nozzles, packing them up in his suitcase. Parks would call and say “We don’t have any equipment. And we don’t have any hose either.” In the early days, Tony would frequently teach with Galen on his vacation time or days off, often as a volunteer.
Days were rarely shorter than 12 hours. Sometimes, the two pros would sleep in hammocks in the fire department engine bay because there was no money for training, let alone hotel rooms. Their dedication to changing the way the parks, and park rangers, approached structural firefighting was effort that was well spent. Many buildings in the national parks have existed well before the park was established and in some cases hold the history and stories for why that national park was established. Every building also brings the possibility of fires. Traditionally, it was the park ranger that would spring into action when a fire would occur. Many responded without training or the right equipment. Galen and Tony developed an awareness of the need for training, the curriculum, and the early policy that would become the foundation of change for this high-risk program.
In 1990, Rick Gale at the NPS national office recognized that there needed to be someone at the national, regional, and park levels that were dedicated to structural fire safety. Noting the connection between wildland fire and structural fire, funds were allocated to initiate a structural fire program. Jim Farrel was hired as the first structural fire manager and he was stationed at the National Park Service Fire Management Program Center, located in Boise, Idaho.
During the conversations for the oral history project, Tony noted “Galen and I are only a part of a much bigger story here.” Both Tony and Galen wanted to highlight some of the “movers and shakers that deserve credit for rattling the chains of complacency.” Some of the names they highlighted included Ross Hopkins, Dick Powell, and Chris Cameron, as well as those in the field who provided vital encouragement - Jim Northup (Grand Teton National Park), Bill Wright (Big Bend National Park), Todd Brindle (Guadalupe Mountain National Park), Bob Panko (Everglades National Park), Fred Patten (Canyonlands National Park), Scott Lopez (Ozark National Scenic Riverways), Sammy Lyle (Buffalo National River), Gus Martinez (Padre Island National Seashore), Don Cross (Yosemite National Park), Ray Warren (Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks), Hal Spencer, Bill Oswald and Jeff Panetta. “The stories are too numerous to tell.”
In 1980, a young seasonal park ranger took his first structure fire training course at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan. Collateral duty in structural fire response was mandated for all rangers, running drills on the lawn in front of the visitor center. Many years later, Mark Gorman accepted a job at the Fire Management Program Center in Boise, Idaho, managing the structural fire operations program, which includes structural fire training. Inheriting the rich legacy left by Tony and Galen, he has been an instructor for structural fire for many years, passing the knowledge he first learned from Tony and Galen, on to the next generation of NPS structural firefighters and managers.
Want to know what the article title “Double Doughnuts and Gatorade” means? “This was a ‘quip’ we used to acknowledge/praise a squad when a skill was well executed in conjunction with a training assignment. …‘Squad 4 — Double Gatorades…and doughnuts' for the best time in deploying dual attack lines. We had a bunch of these that we used to keep it fun,” said Tony. Everyone that had the pleasure of working with Tony Bacon over the years remembers sayings like these as “Bacon Bits.”
A Short Biography about Tony Bacon:
Tony began his twenty-six year fire service career with the Novato, California Fire Protection District and served to the position of Battalion Chief. While serving with the District, he was assigned as a Division Supervisor with Nor Cal Interagency Incident Management Team No. 2 and was also assigned to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Firescope Curriculum Development Task Force. As an instructor with the California State Fire Service Training and Education System, he earned his Lifetime Teaching Credential from the University of California and instructed at various community colleges throughout northern California.
Tony served as President of the Marin Sonoma Fire Training Officers’ Association and was an active member of the California State Fire Chiefs’–Training Officers’ Northern Section. Tony assisted with development of the National Park Service Structure Fire Training Program and served on National Fire Protection Association Professional Qualifications Standards Committees; as well as with the accreditation committee of the International Fire Service Training Association.
Tony continued to instruct a range of NWCG courses and served as a Division Chief with the Bull Lake Fire District in Lincoln County, Montana, and as a Division Supervisor with the Northern Rockies Western Montana Incident Management Team and was credentialed under the NIMS – ICS, as an All Hazard Specific Instructor under the United States Fire Administration/Emergency Management Institute.
A Short Biography about Galen Warren:
Galen Warren attended Central State University then enlisted in the Air Force and spent two years in Anchorage, Alaska at Elmendorf Air Force Base from January 1971 through December 1972 serving as a firefighter. After a transfer to McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita Kansas, he served as a firefighter then as a fire inspector. Galen attended Wichita State University after being discharged from the Air Force and took a job as a fire Inspector in the Civil Service for the Department of Defense at McConnell Air Force Base.
In 1976 Galen accepted a position as a risk manager with the National Park Service Regional Office in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 1991 became the risk manager in Yellowstone National Park and in 1998 transferred to a satellite office of the Rocky Mountain Regional Office in Salt Lake City, Utah. He retired from the National Park Service in 2002.
Condolences expressed online at Legacy.com for Tony:
"We have lost a GEM of a person with your passing, Tony. Your huge heart and infectious personality will be missed by all! You always did know how to show a girl a good time, whether it be going into a burning building, or being carried down a ladder as the 'rescued'.
I feel very lucky and honored to have known you. Your passionate contribution to safety of fire fighters everywhere, and as a mentor and friend, will never be forgotten. Heartfelt condolences to the Bacon Family. RIP my friend."
Laurie Bartel, Oregon
"I was priviledged to have met Tony and even more so to have been instructed by him. I will always miss the ear to ear smile, the encouragement, the wealth of knowledge, his ability to command any situation, I will miss his input and advice, I will always remember the little things that made Tony so impressive to work with. Thank You Mr Bacon. By the way I'm pretty sure I owe you a piece of pie. Can't wait."
Isaiah Williams, TFSVFD, Montana
"Tony & I became friends in the early 70's when he represented Western Fire. I was with the USFS and on an equipment committee and regional training cadres. Tony was always energized about helping the fire service. He had worked for a structure department in New Jersey but felt he needed to learn more about wild fire.
Tony hounded me about letting him into the USFS North Zone Engine Academy I was in charge of. I never saw someone get so excited about learning. He later took 290, Wildland Fire Behavior from me and took off like rocket learning, teaching and developing wild land and structure training programs. I thought I was gung ho but he left me in the dust! He and I got reacquainted again in about 1995. I had gone to Kern County FD and was a Training Officer.
By luck simultaneously TJ Welsh, Tony and many others were working towards establishing wildland training standards for CA. We met in Sacramento and due to all of our efforts, especially TJ, CICCS was born. Now we needed to offer the training so Tony, many others and I offered to travel near and far to promote safer and more effective firefighting through quality training. But Tony was unbelievable in this pursuit, training many days and nights a week and still serving on an IMT as a DIVS all the way to 75!
The DIVS is the most physically challenging position on an IMT. Just days before he passed he called me and asked me to send him some material and to bounce some ideas about a session he was putting on to several volunteer fire companies that week. His voice was so excited about the class and he was one of the toughest guys I ever knew I was sure he was going to make it. I was so shocked to hear a few days later he was gone. Tony was the most amazing and dedicated fire fighter I ever knew."
Patrick Shreffler, Posey, California
"Tony - Thank you for your wisdom. Thank you for your courage. Thank you for your commitment and dedication to the fire service. Thank you for your friendship. I and the fire service are and will certainly be affected by your absence.
I wish I could be there with everyone to celebrate your life. My thoughts and prayers for you, Arlene and family. Your eternal friend and brother. Until we meet again. God bless and keep you. Oh, and watch out for those "Soup Sandwich" knuckle heads!"
Alan Biagi
"Tony, I truly honored and blessed to have had you as a friend and mentor. From training issues to discussion about everything . You were such an asset and leader in the fire Sevice... For that many unnamed folks have benefitted because of you. Goodbye & God Bless friend... We shall see you again. John 3:16 I'm in middle of 30 day trip on Europe."
Bruce Arvizu, Thousand Oaks, California
"Tony....you will be missed by many but the heavens will have one heck of a person..."
Phil Mosher, Monitor, Washington
"Tony's voice was always what you noticed first. The confidence he displayed was infectious and let you know that you would be safe. We fought some good fires together both structure and wildland. Every one was a learning experience. Thank you for being a mentor, leader and friend."
Phil Tripp, Sonoma, California
"Tony you will be missed thank you for everything you did for me growing up firefighting, snow skiing, duck hunting, and baseball love."
Steve DellEra
"Tony, you are amazing! I will miss you, your drive and your dedication to, as you said it, to replace yourself. Only you can't be replaced, my friend. However, we will carry your words and work forward and do our best to make you proud. Until I see you again at the Gate of Heaven, know that you are missed. See you later, Tater."
Shawna Floyd, Kalispell, Montana
"Tony Bacon, friend, mentor, leader from the front, icon. I missed you when you moved, now I miss you more buddy. Thank you for the lives you have saved by training thousands of us to do our jobs. RIP buddy we will meet again."
Jim Comisky, Cobb, California
"Tony was a Gentle Giant, had a constant smile, was a firefighter who set the bar , a mentor, a friend. As my friend Dan said, we know you will be watching over us and that is a good thing. To Tony's family; Thank you for sharing Tony and allowing him to serve with all of us on NorCal Team 2, he will be missed."
Tim Fike, Kings Beach, California
"Tony was a dear friend with incredible talent and knowledge unsurpassed in the fire service. He was engaging and personable with a contagious sense of wit and humor. We shared some interesting times on a number of incidents.
He always had his head in the game and instilled confidence and conviction under fire. We will truly miss his visits to our home and the story telling of past fire campaigns along with discussing promising plans for the future.
We are in utter disbelief that he is no longer with us. He will always be remembered as a true friendthat made a difference for the better of everyone. I bet he is setting up a training room somewhere right now with his inexhaustible dedication and enthusiasm."
Jeff and Beth White, Douglas Flat, California
"To my friend and mentor, we fought some awesome battles together and I learned a lot from you, meeting you 35 years ago changed my life and I thank you for that. Rest in peace my brother I know you will be watching over us."
Dan George, Sebastopol, California
"Tony - I am honored to have known you! Looking forward to celebrating your life in MT".
Brad Beedle, Novato, California
"Tony was a man amongst men. He lead the charge in the fire service getting people trained to stay safe and well educated. It was always a good day when working with Tony. I will cherish the memories of our days together serving our communities. Thank you for the opportunities you provided. Rest in peace Tony, see you another day."
Chris Wikeen, Monte Rio, California
"I worked with Tony on NorCal2 IMT. A man of many talents and abilities. Always ready to serve. Tony, see you on the other side."
Don Will, Oroville, California
"Tony, thank you for the friendship we had, the laughs we shared, the leadership you taught me. You will be remembered and missed my friend. Keeping your family in my thoughts. You were one of the good guys."
Rick Howson, Santa Rosa, California
"We've lost one of the good guys. My most sincere condolences to the Bacon family. I will, and already do, miss Tony. Thanks for your friendship and Rest in peace my friend."
Mike DeGrosky, Lewiston, Idaho
"A great guy and a great partner."
Duane
"An outstanding friend, the example of dedication to our Nation's Fire Service and community, a mentor, and a tuff guy in the vain of all my heroes. Thank you for finding me Amigo, your passion will be greatly missed. "Illigitimus non carborundum"
Mitch Avelar, Whitefish, Montana
Tony Bacon was my mentor, role model and friend. His impact on generations of firefighters is unsurpassed, and he leaves a hole that cannot be filled. Our condolences go to his family and all who suffer through his loss."
Jane Moorhead, Dublin, California
"My prayers go out to Tony's family, and my thanks to him for all he gave to the wildland fire service in Montana and far beyond. Rest in Peace Tony!"
Ted Mead, Missoula, MT
"When a boss once got on Tony about some subject he replied 'Adam there has yet to be a machine invented that can measure my indifference...' I still laugh thinking about it. Tony taught me so much about being a firefighter it's hard to even put into words. Take care Cap, you did make a difference."
Adam Brolan
"You will be greatly missed Tony. Rest in peace my friend. Our memories will last forever."
Craig and Vicki Danford, Novato, California
"We have lost a GEM of a person with your passing, Tony. Your huge heart and infectious personality will be missed by all! You always did know how to show a girl a good time, whether it be going into a burning building, or being carried down a ladder as the 'rescued'.
I feel very lucky and honored to have known you. Your passionate contribution to safety of fire fighters everywhere, and as a mentor and friend, will never be forgotten. Heartfelt condolences to the Bacon Family. RIP my friend."
Laurie Bartel, Oregon
"I was priviledged to have met Tony and even more so to have been instructed by him. I will always miss the ear to ear smile, the encouragement, the wealth of knowledge, his ability to command any situation, I will miss his input and advice, I will always remember the little things that made Tony so impressive to work with. Thank You Mr Bacon. By the way I'm pretty sure I owe you a piece of pie. Can't wait."
Isaiah Williams, TFSVFD, Montana
"Tony & I became friends in the early 70's when he represented Western Fire. I was with the USFS and on an equipment committee and regional training cadres. Tony was always energized about helping the fire service. He had worked for a structure department in New Jersey but felt he needed to learn more about wild fire.
Tony hounded me about letting him into the USFS North Zone Engine Academy I was in charge of. I never saw someone get so excited about learning. He later took 290, Wildland Fire Behavior from me and took off like rocket learning, teaching and developing wild land and structure training programs. I thought I was gung ho but he left me in the dust! He and I got reacquainted again in about 1995. I had gone to Kern County FD and was a Training Officer.
By luck simultaneously TJ Welsh, Tony and many others were working towards establishing wildland training standards for CA. We met in Sacramento and due to all of our efforts, especially TJ, CICCS was born. Now we needed to offer the training so Tony, many others and I offered to travel near and far to promote safer and more effective firefighting through quality training. But Tony was unbelievable in this pursuit, training many days and nights a week and still serving on an IMT as a DIVS all the way to 75!
The DIVS is the most physically challenging position on an IMT. Just days before he passed he called me and asked me to send him some material and to bounce some ideas about a session he was putting on to several volunteer fire companies that week. His voice was so excited about the class and he was one of the toughest guys I ever knew I was sure he was going to make it. I was so shocked to hear a few days later he was gone. Tony was the most amazing and dedicated fire fighter I ever knew."
Patrick Shreffler, Posey, California
"Tony - Thank you for your wisdom. Thank you for your courage. Thank you for your commitment and dedication to the fire service. Thank you for your friendship. I and the fire service are and will certainly be affected by your absence.
I wish I could be there with everyone to celebrate your life. My thoughts and prayers for you, Arlene and family. Your eternal friend and brother. Until we meet again. God bless and keep you. Oh, and watch out for those "Soup Sandwich" knuckle heads!"
Alan Biagi
"Tony, I truly honored and blessed to have had you as a friend and mentor. From training issues to discussion about everything . You were such an asset and leader in the fire Sevice... For that many unnamed folks have benefitted because of you. Goodbye & God Bless friend... We shall see you again. John 3:16 I'm in middle of 30 day trip on Europe."
Bruce Arvizu, Thousand Oaks, California
"Tony....you will be missed by many but the heavens will have one heck of a person..."
Phil Mosher, Monitor, Washington
"Tony's voice was always what you noticed first. The confidence he displayed was infectious and let you know that you would be safe. We fought some good fires together both structure and wildland. Every one was a learning experience. Thank you for being a mentor, leader and friend."
Phil Tripp, Sonoma, California
"Tony you will be missed thank you for everything you did for me growing up firefighting, snow skiing, duck hunting, and baseball love."
Steve DellEra
"Tony, you are amazing! I will miss you, your drive and your dedication to, as you said it, to replace yourself. Only you can't be replaced, my friend. However, we will carry your words and work forward and do our best to make you proud. Until I see you again at the Gate of Heaven, know that you are missed. See you later, Tater."
Shawna Floyd, Kalispell, Montana
"Tony Bacon, friend, mentor, leader from the front, icon. I missed you when you moved, now I miss you more buddy. Thank you for the lives you have saved by training thousands of us to do our jobs. RIP buddy we will meet again."
Jim Comisky, Cobb, California
"Tony was a Gentle Giant, had a constant smile, was a firefighter who set the bar , a mentor, a friend. As my friend Dan said, we know you will be watching over us and that is a good thing. To Tony's family; Thank you for sharing Tony and allowing him to serve with all of us on NorCal Team 2, he will be missed."
Tim Fike, Kings Beach, California
"Tony was a dear friend with incredible talent and knowledge unsurpassed in the fire service. He was engaging and personable with a contagious sense of wit and humor. We shared some interesting times on a number of incidents.
He always had his head in the game and instilled confidence and conviction under fire. We will truly miss his visits to our home and the story telling of past fire campaigns along with discussing promising plans for the future.
We are in utter disbelief that he is no longer with us. He will always be remembered as a true friendthat made a difference for the better of everyone. I bet he is setting up a training room somewhere right now with his inexhaustible dedication and enthusiasm."
Jeff and Beth White, Douglas Flat, California
"To my friend and mentor, we fought some awesome battles together and I learned a lot from you, meeting you 35 years ago changed my life and I thank you for that. Rest in peace my brother I know you will be watching over us."
Dan George, Sebastopol, California
"Tony - I am honored to have known you! Looking forward to celebrating your life in MT".
Brad Beedle, Novato, California
"Tony was a man amongst men. He lead the charge in the fire service getting people trained to stay safe and well educated. It was always a good day when working with Tony. I will cherish the memories of our days together serving our communities. Thank you for the opportunities you provided. Rest in peace Tony, see you another day."
Chris Wikeen, Monte Rio, California
"I worked with Tony on NorCal2 IMT. A man of many talents and abilities. Always ready to serve. Tony, see you on the other side."
Don Will, Oroville, California
"Tony, thank you for the friendship we had, the laughs we shared, the leadership you taught me. You will be remembered and missed my friend. Keeping your family in my thoughts. You were one of the good guys."
Rick Howson, Santa Rosa, California
"We've lost one of the good guys. My most sincere condolences to the Bacon family. I will, and already do, miss Tony. Thanks for your friendship and Rest in peace my friend."
Mike DeGrosky, Lewiston, Idaho
"A great guy and a great partner."
Duane
"An outstanding friend, the example of dedication to our Nation's Fire Service and community, a mentor, and a tuff guy in the vain of all my heroes. Thank you for finding me Amigo, your passion will be greatly missed. "Illigitimus non carborundum"
Mitch Avelar, Whitefish, Montana
Tony Bacon was my mentor, role model and friend. His impact on generations of firefighters is unsurpassed, and he leaves a hole that cannot be filled. Our condolences go to his family and all who suffer through his loss."
Jane Moorhead, Dublin, California
"My prayers go out to Tony's family, and my thanks to him for all he gave to the wildland fire service in Montana and far beyond. Rest in Peace Tony!"
Ted Mead, Missoula, MT
"When a boss once got on Tony about some subject he replied 'Adam there has yet to be a machine invented that can measure my indifference...' I still laugh thinking about it. Tony taught me so much about being a firefighter it's hard to even put into words. Take care Cap, you did make a difference."
Adam Brolan
"You will be greatly missed Tony. Rest in peace my friend. Our memories will last forever."
Craig and Vicki Danford, Novato, California