Friends and Family Remember Fire Service Icon Bob Barraclough at FDIC
By Shannon Pieper

Fire service leaders from across the country gathered yesterday evening to remember Bob Barraclough, a 51-year veteran of the fire service who died in January after a distinguished career as an apparatus expert, writer and safety crusader.

The service was led by Bob’s closest friends and family, who recounted, sometimes emotionally, the effect Bob had on them and on so many people in the fire service.

Bob’s wife Betts led the speakers with a touching, innocent description of Bob, noting his “twinkling blue eyes” and his amusement that many people called him SOB—for Sweet Ol’ Bob, of course. “His games of choice were gin rummy and hearts, often played with a gin and tonic in his hand,” she said, and those of us who were lucky enough to count Bob as a guest at fire service dinners knew that to be his drink of choice.

Betts described her late husband as a “flag-waving patriot … an honorable man, his handshake was his word.” Recognizing the impact he had, she said Bob “was a job placement service to so many.”

That impact was echoed by some of Bob’s closest friends. Bill Ballentyne noted that he knew Bob in many capacities, but “the relationship I cherished the most with him was as a friend.” As many people noted in remembrances when Bob died, Ballentyne said that one of Bob’s chief qualities was the ability to bring people together. “Even if you were a competitor, Bob was always a friend,” he said. “He had an ability to bring people together no matter how diverse the opinions. There’s probably not much in this industry that Bob hasn’t had his hand in.”

The most emotional tribute came from Bob’s close friend and business partner, Alan Saulsbury. “Bob and I were more than just friends, we were brothers,” he said. “We were one heck of a great team.” Saulsbury talked with Bob just before he died, and he related how Bob “was just as spy as he could be,” admonishing Alan for calling from the car. “He went out on the top of his game,” he said. For those of us who knew Bob, it was easy to picture him, opinionated and passionate, even on the last day of his life.

Saulsbury also noted that Bob was sometimes criticized for being too aggressive, too innovative. “But if you disagreed with him, you still respected him,” he said. “How many careers, companies, families were impacted by Bob? He made little people feel like important people, and small companies feel like big companies.”

Bill Fritz provided details from Bob’s early career as a Navy fire marshal. “It was the first step into a service to the country that was unparalleled,” he said. “Bob didn’t do things halfway, he did them the right way. Bob, the world is a better place for all you did. Your legacy will be continued. You will be missed and never forgotten.”

Although these and other speakers remembered Bob in many ways, the image that they created together was truly invocative of the smiling, mischievous, knowledge-seeking, unafraid-of-controversy fire service leader who so many people counted a friend. But as Betts Barraclough noted, Bob appreciated the fire service as much as it appreciated him: “Thank you for filling his life with your friendship and love. He always felt privileged to work and play in the industry he loved.”

Shannon Pieper is senior deputy editor for FireRescue magazine.

Related:
Remembering “Sweet Ol’ Bob”
Firefighter Nation Contributors Remember Bob Barraclough


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