FEDERALSBURG — As Joe Holland reflected on his time working as a firefighter, he thought he would be working forever, but after 32 years of services at the Anne Arundel County Fire Department, Holland has retired.
“It’s hard to believe you start your career 32 years ago, and you feel like it’s forever,†Holland said. “I got this job, and I’m going to be here forever and then before you know it, you’re halfway and then finally, my last shift with all the guys there and everybody visiting, which I was very grateful and very humbled, but it was hard to believe that was it … I had a really great career and met a lot of great people, and it made a little easier because I was able to go out on my terms, and I was really happy with where I was and what I was doing,†Holland said.
Holland’s career as a firefighter started when he was just a 17-year-old in Caroline County, he joined the Goldsboro Volunteer Fire Company after graduating from North Caroline High School in 1986.
Firefighter has been in Holland’s family and seeing his grandfather and father as firefighters gave him the motivation to continue the legacy.
“It was a family thing,†Holland said. “My grandfather was a life member with the Denton Volunteer Fire Company. Then my father was a member with Denton Volunteer Fire Company; it’s just being exposed to it just made me want to do it. I saw how much how much joy and how much service there was and, and it was also just being around all the people there. There was always really good people at the at the volunteer fire companies.â€
After three years of service in Goldsboro, Holland moved to Federalsburg after marrying his wife, Patricia. Holland joined the Federalsburg Volunteer Fire Company where he has served since 1989. Holland has held multiple titles in Federalsburg, he currently serves as the assistant chief in the department.
In 1993 Holland joined the Anne Arundel County Fire Department while continuing his service in Federalsburg. While in Anne Arundel County, Hollard responded to calls in southern Anne Arundel County, Glen Burnie and Annapolis.
Throughout his 32 years of service in Anne Arundel County, he says his favorite memories were events the fire company held.
“Honestly it’s not really the calls; it’s all the public events where we go out, and we we have time with the community, and we display our fire trucks, and we talk to the kids,†Holland said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a elementary school, middle school, high school, special education Â鶹´«Ã½, whatever. I feel like that was more rewarding, I would say, then the calls.â€
Now that Holland is retired, he looks forward to serving the community through the Federalsburg Volunteer Fire Company.
“I’m just going to keep volunteering up here and giving my time as long as I can,†Holland said. “I’m the training officer at the fire department. So I get to take all the new guys and train them and share all my knowledge, everything that has been passed to me, I’m going to pass to them. So as long as I can do it physically and able to do it, I’m going to still going to run the calls.â€
As for a vacation and enjoying time at home, Holland said it would take some getting used too, but he is ready.
“Not having to be somewhere to go every fourth day,†Holland said would be difficult at first. “But at the same time now we can take our take our time to do whatever we want, do some traveling and not have a timeline.â€
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