FIRE CHIEF Matt Doak has been a firefighter either in Bedford County or for the city of Shelbyville for 31 years. He diligently worked his way through the chain of command, beginning his career as a volunteer for Bedford County before becoming an instructor for the city of Shelbyville, a lieutenant, a captain, and a shift commander. Later, he was appointed interim fire chief after the previous chief retired, and on Sept. 11, 2017, he officially accepted the title of chief.
“I’ve always had a sense of service,” said Doak. “I grew up looking up to Capt. Johnny King since his son and I were good friends. After I returned home from serving in the United States Marine Corps, I still felt the need to serve, so I became a firefighter.
As a member of the United States Marine Corps who enlisted in 1991, Doak was a gunner sergeant who completed two tours to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom before retiring from the reserves in 2011.
On a personal level, he is a dedicated father to his son, Slate; his recently married daughter, Olivia Parsons; and his twin daughters, Kayden and Jordan. As a business owner, he, along with several members of his extended family, has held the trembling hands of countless members of our community as they have buried their loved ones and walked through unimaginable circumstances.
But even with this record of public service and a reputation bursting with integrity and heroism himself, Doak has never thought of himself as a “hero.”
“My heroes are the people who work for me — I look up to those I lead. They are the ones going out in the trucks 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. They are the ones making the sacrifices, and when they arrive on scene, they are the ones who make the toughest decisions. As their chief, I get to support them. I make it my mission to get them whatever they need to be successful.
“It isn’t just my people — it’s also our police department, sheriff’s department, our [emergency medical services], and all of our emergency management agencies, including our 911 dispatchers. Aside from these who are heroes, I’ve had comrades in the Marine Corps that lost their lives very selflessly. So on that level, most of my heroes are no longer living.”
Recalling one such selfless person, Doak said, “While I was over in Iraq, Pfc. Daniel McClenney gave his life serving our country. When his team was ambushed in Afghanistan, he went way over and above and earned a Silver Star. The Bible says, ‘Greater love hath no man than he who lays down his life for a friend.’ This verse describes McClenney. I still see his dad and his family often. His grandmother lives in my neighborhood. It is families like the McClenneys — the ones who have continued to carry on, yet they’ve given the ultimate sacrifice — to me, that’s heroic. They’ve carried on despite the ups and downs. By comparison, I’ve sacrificed very little.”
During his time as chief, the city of Shelbyville has witnessed “explosive growth.” In order to keep up, they added a third station, bringing the total number of full-time firefighters to 51 and 12 working part time.
“We took the position of a firefighter in Shelbyville and made it a title instead of just a job. It’s pretty strenuous to earn this title, and I think it shows a real sense of accomplishment. We’ve been able to grow our department to keep up with the growth. I’m proud of my people and how we’ve worked together to create a legacy. Everyone who works for me are all smoke divers, and they also have operational training of dealing with hazardous materials. We also now have members on every shift who are trained in swift water rescues, high angle rescues, and we have some who specialize in different disciplines.”
Doak continued, “Today, firefighting is one of the most challenging jobs, not only because of the risks and danger involved but also because of the wide variety of skill sets that must be obtained. We must be prepared for just about anything. But the blessing for me is being able to work in the community that I live in, where I own a business, and where my family lives. The caveat to this is that the next call we receive could be someone I know and care about.” GN
