ARBUCKLE, CA (MPG) — Before he wore the white helmet, Casey Cox was the kid on a bicycle chasing the fire engine. When the town siren wailed, he set his dad’s boots by the door and waited for the story when his father got back. He grew up in a station where service was routine, the work was local, and kids learned by watching the adults they admired.
Cox retired in July after nearly three decades as chief and more than 40 years with the Arbuckle Fire Protection District. His career stretches from chalkboard call notes and street clothes to dedicated dispatchers, turnout gear, EMT training, and a busier call load. He leaves much the way he arrived, with respect for the volunteers who keep engines staffed and neighbors cared for.
“I couldn’t get enough of it, and I knew that’s what I wanted to do,” Cox said of his early pull to the job.
Back then, you had to be 21 to join. He waited, studied fire science, earned his EMT, and volunteered while working as a mechanic in town. The department hired him to keep the rigs ready and the station clean, which meant he was already on site when the tones dropped. A full-time slot followed.
Cox never set out to be chief. He moved from volunteer to career firefighter to captain.
The top role opened after his father, Gary “Brick” Cox, who had led the department beginning in 1974, died while planning to retire.
Around the same time, Casey lost his wife. He became a single father to a one-year-old.
The board and volunteers asked him to take the reins.
“I didn’t know if I was up for the task,” he said. “People in town encouraged me to step up. With support from the volunteers, staff, and community, we made it work.”
Colleagues say he did more than keep the lights on.
“The reason you’re a great chief is because you are a great man,” Director David Burgess said, crediting Cox for hiring staff, recruiting volunteers, expanding training, and advocating for equipment as needs and funding allowed.
Board Chair Michael Doherty noted Cox’s county leadership and statewide recognition. In 2024, Cox received the Ronnie J. Coleman California Fire Chief of the Year award and was inducted into the California Fire Chiefs Hall of Fame.
“These honors reflect extraordinary contributions to the profession,” he said.
Inside the station, expectations were simple.
“Pick it up if it’s on the ground. If it’s stationary, paint it,” Assistant Chief Tom Robinson said, recalling years of calls and Cox’s push for clean, safe, ready apparatus. “He always put the firefighters first and wanted everyone to go home.”
Cox points first to safety and medical capability when he talks about change. Early in his career, firefighters rolled to car wrecks and field fires in whatever they were wearing. Now they arrive in turnout gear with a wider set of tools.
Dispatch changed too. Arbuckle moved to Yolo County dispatch, a decision that drew questions at the start.
Cox said the system has delivered.
He cited dedicated fire dispatchers who know local maps, give pre-arrival medical instructions, and stay on the line with callers in high-risk situations such as choking.
“We’ve been with them almost 30 years, and they do a strong job,” he said.
As calls rose, the work broadened. Vegetation and single-story structure fires remain common, along with Interstate 5 crashes. Industrial and agricultural incidents add complexity. Back-to-back calls happen more often and force creative coverage and mutual aid. Air ambulances are used more frequently for strokes and cardiac events.
“People think you have to be in a bad car accident to get flown,” Cox said. “We use them for medical aids too.”
He comes back to one thing: compassion.
“You have to be there for someone who is having a bad time, especially our elderly residents,” he said. The goal is simple. Arrive prepared, do the job, and put the patient first.
“You never show up expecting a pat on the back,” he said. “If you do, you are doing it for the wrong reason.”
Cox is proud of how the district governs itself. Volunteers campaigned door to door for a ballot measure that shifted the board from county appointment to local election. He credits the community for keeping the department funded through annual dinners at the historic fire hall and for supporting facility upgrades, including the current station and improvements to the hall itself.
Recruitment remains the first challenge for the next chief. The district spans roughly 123 square miles, and the roster lists about 35 volunteers in a steady rotation. Families juggle two jobs, youth sports, and crowded calendars.
“Getting the commitment you need is not easy,” Cox said. “It is not for everybody. It is a commitment, but it’s very rewarding.”
At his retirement event, incoming Chief Jaime Ramirez called Cox “an architect of Arbuckle’s safety,” adding, “Under his guidance, Arbuckle Fire has become a highly respected department. He instilled integrity, professionalism, and respect for the community.”
Proclamations arrived from local and state offices recognizing Cox’s 43 years of service and county leadership.
Yolanda Cookson, a field representative for Sen. Megan Dahle, said the gathering felt “like a family reunion,” a nod to the way a small town shows up for one of its own.
Cox’s daughter, Macy Shintaku, kept it light, saying the firehouse felt like a second home.
“I spent as much time at the hall as I did at home,” she said. “I’d roam the hall in my socks, make sausage with the firemen, and grab a soda and a snack. Old habits die hard, so I’m sure I’ll still do all those things.”
Shintaku said her dad rarely missed a call.
“I can probably count on one hand how many times you missed,” she said. “Whether it was 2 p.m. or 2 a.m., if the siren rang, you were out the door.”
“The department looks great: fresh paint, new fences, new buildings. Dad, you did good,” she said. “You helped a lot of people and saved a lot of lives, all while raising me and letting me do everything I wanted to do. Dad, enjoy the next chapter.”
Cox closed with thanks.
“The community allowed me to do this for all these years,” he said, naming the board, staff, and volunteers past and present, along with the secretaries who kept the place running. “Family is probably number one. It’s been a big commitment, but they always supported the fire department.”
Retirement will not take him far. He plans to spend time with his daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter, get back to fishing and riding his horse, and finally tackle long-deferred projects.