Doan to retire from fire department

After nearly 22 years of service, Capt. William L. “Bill” Doan of the El Dorado Fire Department will be retiring.

His last day ended at 7 this morning when his Tuesday shift was over.

In celebration of his service, a retirement reception will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. in the City Commission Room at City Hall, to which the public is invited to attend.

“It’s been a job that I’ve always loved,” Doan said. “I’ve been a firefighter for almost 36 years.”
He began his career in Nebraska, where be belonged to a volunteer department for 14 years before he and his family moved to El Dorado.

He began his career in El Dorado on March 16, 1987, working with the old Department of Public Safety.

His first four years he worked as a road patrol officer. Doan was hired under a federal grant for traffic enforcement.

“We monitored traffic and did accident investigations,” he said.

In 1991, Doan moved back into the fire division to fill in because of illnesses in the department, and in 1992, he became a permanent transfer into the fire department.

He started off as a driver/operator because that is what was required of everyone.

Later that year, the fire chief at the time started getting more into public education.

“I planted the seed for a program that we still have going today,” Doan said.

That program is the Junior Firefighter Program for area fourth graders.

“We ran a test project on it in ’92 and then with the recommendations of the teachers I was made instructor for the Junior Firefighter Program. That’s been kind of my baby all these years.”

He said that is what he feels best about.

“It has done a lot of good, I feel, over the years,” Doan said. “We still have an occasional incident where we’re involved with young people, but I think it has fallen off greatly since we started that fourth grade program.”

Through the program, he has worked with well over 3,000 students.

While staying involved with the Junior Firefighter program, Doan’s next move in the department was to senior driver operator when the Department of Public Safety dissolved in 1995 and the El Dorado Fire Department was formed. In that position, he took charge of running the daily operations when a shift captain was not on duty. Doan remained in this position until 2005.

“I applied for and was promoted to the position of shift captain,” he said. “We didn’t have a lot of turn over in the upper portion of the fire department, so you have to wait your turn to get into that position.”

For his work with the fire department, Doan received a Meritorious Service Citation in July of 1991 for his role in getting two people out of a house that was on fire. Doan had been on his way to work when he noticed smoke coming from a residence on North Taylor Street and he stopped and woke of the residents, helping get them out of the house.

Doan’s involvements don’t end with the fire department.

He also belongs to Fire Educators of Kansas, which he joined in about 1995.

“I’ve helped promote and train people throughout the state of Kansas through that organization,” he said.

He also teaches part time for the Kansas Fire and Rescue Training Institute, a division of the University of Kansas Fire Science program.

“Those are probably my two biggest second loves,” he said.

He enjoys the aspect of making contact with people, although that wasn’t always the case.

“It’s kind of funny because over the years, I can remember back in my school days,” he said. “I did not like to put myself in front of people even when I was in junior high chorus. And today, after I have been doing this education stuff, it doesn’t bother me to get up and talk to people anymore.”
He is going to miss the fire department.

“I’m going to miss the camaraderie of the fire service because everybody looks out for everybody,” he said. “You hear the old cliche, we’re one big family and it’s true because we live with these people one-third of our life. It’s just like being with the family.”

Despite his retirement, Doan will still be seen around the fire department.

“I’ve already talked to Chief (Ken) Nakaten and he’s going to let me come back as a volunteer,” Doan said. “I’m going to stay a volunteer as long as I can and help this department any way I can.”

Doan said he made the decision to retire because although his mind still tells him he has a young body, he knows he can’t go as long and hard as he once did. He had told the firefighters when he felt he couldn’t do as much anymore, he would retire.

In addition to volunteering, Doan plans on spending time with his grandchildren, who live in Denver and Lincoln, Neb.

“I’m going to still stay active,” he said.

He also hopes to get a more full-time position with KU.

“It’s been a great life,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed my time in the fire service. Everyone says ‘I do it because I want to help people’ and I really do. It’s not just saying the words. I’m going to miss all the people.”