Polson fire captain celebrates 40 years of service

City of Polson Fire Department Capt. Pete Bishop this week marked 40 years of service with the department, a milestone rarely reached in fire service. Bishop’s first day with the department was May 11, 1982. He has served under six fire chiefs and has held the rank of firefighter, lieutenant, captain and assistant chief.

Assistant Fire Chief Kevin Straub said volunteers generally serve between five and 10 years, with few making it to the 20-year mark.

“During a volunteer’s career they usually start out energetic and then fade over time,” Straub said. “Their energy and drive to do the hard tasks of firefighting slows, and they take on tasks such as driving, pump operating and less rigorous work. Capt. Bishop acts like he is still a young firefighter with this department. He is still doing the most rigorous work on a fire scene (I promise it will be done smarter and easier by him). Also, as we age it seems it's harder to stay progressive in the fire service, but with Pete that is not the case. He loves learning new ways to do stuff, and he loves to pass that knowledge on to the new firefighters.”

Straub said Bishop is heavily involved in training new members, and each year he is among the top responders for calls for service and is usually one of the first to arrive at the station when a call goes out.

“Volunteerism is down in the fire service, but we have a great man who dedicated almost two-thirds of his life to help our wonderful community,” Straub said. “You may think this is an announcement for his retirement, but it is not. I believe Pete has many more years with this department, and I just want to say thank you for your dedication and service to our city.”

Bishop is married and has a beautiful baby daughter and several stepchildren and grandchildren. He is part owner operator of Bishop Insurance.