As his wife securely pinned the badge onto his uniform, Jeffrey Tsay recognized it was a full-circle moment as he became the San Marino Fire Department’s newly promoted captain during a traditional ceremony on Dec. 13.
Tsay said having his wife, MaryAnn, pin him was “surreal,” because she has been by his side from the very beginning of his more than 13-year career with SMFD.
“I started dating my wife right around the same time I got hired with the San Marino Fire Department,” Tsay told the Tribune. “She was with me when I went to pick up my uniform for the first time as a firefighter, she was there through the probation period and all the studying — she was there through all of it … every step in my fire career.”
Knowing of his ambition to one day be a captain, Tsay said his wife has been not only a cheerleader for his success, but the glue that kept his young family grounded when he had been away from home in the field or in classes to train, collectively for thousands of hours over the years.
“She has always been extremely supportive and has sacrificed a lot, my whole family has,” said Tsay, who is the father of 9-year-old daughter Kadence and 7-year-old-son Landon. “There have been a lot of birthdays that I’ve missed, Christmases and holidays that I wasn’t able to be there for, so having her be the one to pin me was super special. … It was amazing.”
The badge-pinning ceremony was a family affair. Beside Tsay’s wife and children, his sister, cousins and in-laws also came to celebrate him, as did city officials, including City Manager Philippe Eskandar, former Mayor Steve Talt and Fire Chief Mario Rueda.
“This is the greatest leap that you will take in your career,” Rueda told Tsay in his speech. “You are taking on the most important position in the fire department. You are now responsible for the fire protection and emergency medical service of nearly 14,000 San Marino residents. You are expected to lead your team, socialize new firefighters onto your team, take care of them, and don’t let them down. They will listen to what you say, but more importantly, they’ll watch what you do.
“Lastly, you are accountable for the performance of the fire department. That responsibility includes ensuring the fire department continues to be held in high regard by our residents. Every time you respond out of the doors of the fire station, your job is to make sure that our residents not only need us but they want us.”
Tsay was one of seven other candidates who tested for the captain position. The process spanned nearly a month and consisted of a written exam, an oral interview panel and a simulation portion. When he and his fellow firefighters learned of the results, Tsay said he felt honored, but also a sense of seriousness.
“The moment Rueda told me the news, I could immediately feel the weight of it on my shoulders,” Tsay said. “It’s a lot of responsibility. I felt a whirlwind of emotions, but I’ve been testing, preparing myself, and taking classes and seminars for maybe the last six years, so I feel ready to tackle this next chapter in my fire service career.
“Chief Rueda puts a pretty high expectation on the captain role,” he added. “He says it is the captain that steers the crew and the department, because they are the face of the fire department — the ones that are outside speaking to the public. He holds this position with high expectations and my goal is to not only meet, but exceed those expectations which will be hard to do.”
During Tsay’s more than 13-year tenure, he said he’s had the privilege of working under inspiring leadership. In his case, he is stepping into the role of one of his mentors and former SMFD Capt. Dominic Petta, who is now a battalion chief at Alhambra Fire Department.
Petta was Tsay’s captain for 10 years. Under his leadership, Tsay said he tried to absorb as much as he could. Now in the same position, he hopes to have the same effect on his colleagues and the community he serves.
“He definitely left huge shoes to fill, but I was lucky and blessed to work with such a great leader,” Tsay said. “He honestly cared about everyone he met. Every call we went on, he truly had empathy, cared about the patients, the patient’s family and he was able to build relationships. He was loved by so many people in our community. … When you talk about compassion, empathy and the true meaning of customer service — that was him.”
Though Tsay said captains don’t render aid or have a hands-on approach, community members always remembered Petta for the way he treated them and the compassion he showed them.
“That meant everything to them,” Tsay said. “It was great to see it for so many years, and it definitely helped shape me into the leader that I am today.”
Tsay aims to be a good mentor and counselor.
“One of the biggest things I want to accomplish is to learn what other people’s goals are from my team and try to help them get there,” Tsay said. “I want to build them up so they can reach their goals.”
As Tsay looks forward to the work ahead of him as a supervisor, he reflected on the unique quality that SMFD holds as a one-station department and the close-knit camaraderie that they are able to foster.
“I think a positive of being a one-station department is that everyone gets to know each other extremely well,” Tsay said. “I know all the guys I work with — I know their wives, I know their kids, I know their dogs. We are the pinnacle of a family-oriented fire department. We do truly see ourselves as a second family, and that is absolutely why I love this department. We truly see ourselves as brothers and care about one another, and I think that builds a bond that is stronger than any other fire department around us.”
First published in the Dec. 21 issue of the San Marino Tribune
