Clay Fire Territory Chief Timm Schabbel retires after 35 years with the department
Timm Schabbel was hooked on being a firefighter when he was in high school. Fast forward to this week, and he is retiring. He said he never felt like he worked because he loved the job so much. “I have been extremely blessed.”
Today, Jan. 19, is Timm’s final day as chief at Clay Fire Territory. He began his career with the Clay Township Fire Department in 1989. He was promoted to fire chief in 1997 and is the longest tenured chief officer in the agency’s 75-year history. He celebrated his 35th anniversary with the department this month.
Tuesday is Jaren Kilian's first day as the next fire chief of the Clay Fire Territory. Jaren was named to the post in early February. He has served in multiple roles in the department since being hired in 2005. He has been an integral part of Clay Fire’s leadership team since being promoted to his current rank of assistant chief of administration in 2012.
In 2001, Timm led the transition of the agency from the Clay Township Fire Department to a new organization by uniting Clay Township and the towns of Indian Village and Roseland to create the Clay Fire Territory. He later led the expansion of Clay Fire through the addition of the German Township Fire Department in 2007 and again in 2010 with the inclusion of the Harris Township Fire Department.
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“The area was tripled,” he said. Increased staff and calls, which are all part of a modern fire department. There are five stations in the territory. The population is 80,000, which places it in the top 15 of cities in the state.
Under Timm’s leadership, Clay Fire became the first internationally accredited fire department in Indiana, in 2004. As one of only four currently internationally accredited fire departments in Indiana, Clay Fire has maintained its agency-accredited status through four additional exhaustive re-accreditation processes.
The other three accredited departments are Indianapolis, Carmel and Grissom Air Force Base. Good company.
The accreditation is an extensive process with a number of checklists, visits and reports. Timm says it keeps everyone on their toes and sharpens their skills.
He received high praise for his leadership and wisdom. Matt Dhoore, operations chief, said Chief Timm has “created a foundation, a vision for the department. No one can touch that. He is dedicated. As a mentor, he gave me that push. He wanted us to try, to think differently. Take classes. We have been supported in every endeavor.”
Clay Township Trustee Sean O’Brien said in the press release that “Chief Schabbel has spent his entire career in the service of others and to our community. On behalf of Clay Township, we are extremely grateful for his vision, leadership, professionalism, and his significant contributions to our community. Clay Township is a better and safer place because of the Schabbels. I wish him and his family all the best during his hard-earned and well-deserved retirement.”
Timm’s story in the fire service began in high school. He is from South Haven and went to high school in Niles. “As a senior, I was living with friends when my mother moved to the Chicago suburbs. A friend, Bill Drotoz, was a volunteer firefighter in Niles and took me to the station. At that point, I was hooked.”
Before that, he said, he was a “lost soul” in high school. No real direction. “I found what I was supposed to do.”
He took a test for the Romeoville (Illinois) fire department. He graduated from high school on a Thursday (in 1986), packed his car on Friday and started at Romeoville on Monday.
He attended the fire academy in Arlington Heights, Ill., before transferring to the Clay Township Fire Department. During his nearly four decades in public safety, Timm has served the community in various roles within the fire department, including as a firefighter, engineer, lieutenant, chief of operations and fire chief.
For him, it has been about the teamwork in the department, community and city. Everything must run smoothly, he said.
Through the years, Timm has taken the lead in creating a modern fire department with mutual aid responses with other departments, budgeting, remodeling stations, fire prevention and training. The Clay Fire Training Center on Auten Road has trained 300 incident commanders from all over the world.
Timm has received numerous awards, including Firefighter of the Year from the township, Fire Chief of the Year from the state of Indiana and the President’s Award from the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) in 2021. He has also served on the board of directors of IAFC since 2016.
With retirement, he said, he will do consulting work and training with other departments. No trips to Florida or theme parks. “I’m excited about the next chapter.”
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A quick note for fans of Betsy Jochum. Betsy, who was known as Sockum Jochum when she was a South Bend Blue Sox player, is a legend. Betsy celebrated her 103rd birthday on Feb. 8. If you would like to send a belated birthday message or "you’re fabulous" card, there is a way. The History Museum, 808 W. Washington St., South Bend, IN 46601, will forward the cards to her.
Just note on the front of the envelope that this is for Betsy. Or Sockum.
Contact Kathy at kfborlik@yahoo.com
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Clay Fire Territory chief retires after 35 years with department
