Chief John Golding (1933 - 2001)

by Jerry Cates

This page is devoted to the celebration of the life of Chief John Golding. If you have photographs or anecdotes related to his life, please contact jerry.cates@entomobiotics.com to make arrangements for their inclusion.

Chief Golding, who mentored numerous men and women in the fire service over the past 22 years, passed away peacefully on the morning of December 16, 2001. He has served as Chief of the Jollyville Fire Department since 1987.  

John, a retired USAF Colonel, joined JVFD in August 1979. The fire department was then barely four years old. The only station at the time was a ramshackle wooden shed on Pond Springs Road. Two fire trucks were kept there- a 1956 Ford pumper (Unit #36), and a 1975 Chevrolet Rescue/Brush truck (Unit #37). John took over the maintenance of both vehicles, and made sure they were always in service. 

I joined JVFD in 1980, and throughout my five year stint, John Golding was there helping to teach me the ropes. The lessons I learned from him saved my skin more than once. One of the big points he drove home was the importance of having the right gear, 

keeping it in top shape, and knowing how to use it. He would analyze every fire call, determined to learn from each experience how to do an even better job next time. Chief Ray Johnson was also a stickler for training, and the two of them managed to put together a fire department that was second to none.

It still is. Not many fire departments in this world can claim to have an entire series of fire apparatus named after one of their officers. JVFD has such an honor. The Quint JVFD purchased from Quality Mfg. Co. has been designated "The John Golding Signature Series" by that company, because its hose-bed layout was re-designed by John to allow for greater flexibility and use. Their first reaction to his plans was "That can't be done!", but John knew it could, and showed them the way. Earlier, John had ordered a major change to the light racks on a rescue truck JVFD had on order. That factory also said it was impossible, but John patiently showed their engineers how to do it.