From marathons to school boards to small businesses, these firefighters never stop serving
By day–and by night–they are all firefighters when on duty, but they all have time off and they spend it in unusual ways.
Yes, they are all busy at other jobs or endeavors when not at their firefighting posts. But when on duty or on call as volunteers, they are laser-focused on the job in front of them.
“When you’re on a shift, that’s your job,” Ben said.
Abilene firefighters are on duty for 48 hours and off for 96 hours. They typically report for duty by 8 a.m. Jay Louder currently is a Lieutenant assigned to Engine 9, C-Shift/Station 9. As an officer, his typical day starts with relieving the current officer on duty. Any pertinent information is shared relating to fire or EMS runs, apparatus readiness and other details. From there, he checks his gear and places it on the engine, logs into the computer and then meets with his crew.
“Depending on previously scheduled events or emergency calls,” he said, “the crew typically cooks and eats breakfast together.”
Throughout their 48-hour shifts, firefighters answer calls, eat all meals together, work out to keep physically fit or train. Station 9 has individual bedrooms with one bed and three lockers (one per person assigned to that room).
After dinner, crews spend time talking, watching a movie or playing games. Or, they may choose to be alone. They normally go to bed about 10 p.m.
“Depending on call volume throughout the night, the next morning will begin around 7 a.m.,” Jay said.
For Abilene firefighters, that means they will spend the next 24 hours doing the same thing or starting their days off to take care of their side businesses or maybe train for an ultra-marathon.
After 48 hours on duty in a stress-filled job, you’d think that a firefighter would just want to kick back and relax. Not Brent Jordan. His idea of relieving stress is to train for an ultra-marathon, defined as a foot race over 26.2 miles. They normally range from 31 to 250 miles. Training and competing in the races clears his mind and relieves stress.
“This combined with mentally, emotionally and spiritually nurturing myself has been the best remedy for trauma that I have experienced in my profession,” Brent said.
“I became excited about a career that I could serve my community and provide for my family at the same time,” he said.
He entered the fire academy in 2009 and has been on the job for 15 years, including five as a Lieutenant, the position he currently holds at Fire Station 3, which also runs the AFD fitness program. Brent has earned numerous certifications, among them Licensed Paramedic, Fire Inspector, Fire Instructor and Hazardous Materials Technician.
Brent was an athlete in high school and college, so he was used to physical fitness. He got involved with CrossFit training and then began running marathons. At age 43, he hasn’t slowed down one bit. He competes in one difficult challenge per year. Next up is R3, which means crossing the Grand Canyon and back, in 2027. In April 2026, Brent completed his first Ironman competition, including a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run.
When not fighting fires or training for an ultra-marathon, Brent enjoys spending time with his wife, Jenn, and their kids– Haelyn Rogers, Hope Rogers, Jansen Jordan, Jenner Jordan, Hunter Rogers and Journey Jordan. Fitness is a major focus for Brent and Jenn, but not at the top of the list.
“As important as it is to us, our main priority is always each other, our kids and our church, Beltway Park,” he said.
On his days off as a Lieutenant with the Abilene Fire Department, Jay Louder might be studying important issues in the Clyde Independent School District or he might be tending to his family-owned business, Jay’s Pest Control. All three of his jobs come from a place of service.
“I do not take lightly the opportunity I have to serve the community of the Big Country by being on the fire department, the Clyde school board and operating a pest control business,” he said.
Jay’s first encounters with firefighters and the pest control business came when he was a Rule High School student and worked for Quality Pest Control. As a sophomore, Jay lost a classmate and the classmate’s family in a house fire. Jay and another classmate witnessed the fire and were called on by firefighters to help.
Years later, he was working for a pest control business in Killeen and saw about 20 firefighters in full gear doing burpees, a demanding conditioning exercise, and it sparked a memory of the friend he had lost.
“I pulled into the parking lot and went inside to inquire on how to become a firefighter,” he said.
Jay entered the fire academy on Jan. 5, 2005, and soon was signed on by the Copperas Cove Fire Department. Since then, he has earned many certifications, among them EMS and EMT Paramedic, Advanced Structure Firefighter, Intermediate Fire Inspector and Investigator and Ropes Rescue Technician. He has been a structural firefighter for 20 years, including 16 with the AFD.
Deborah Louder is a junior high math teacher, and the Louder children are products of Clyde schools, so Jay’s interest in the school board came naturally. Jay and Deborah grew up in Rule and wanted to raise their children in this area, with like-minded values.
“Our family strives to allow Christ’s love to guide our choices, shape our character and strengthen our family,” Jay said.
Being a multitasker is essential for all volunteer firefighters, but Lt. Taryn Riden and Lt. Ben Callis with the Potosi VFD take that to the extreme. Taryn and her longtime boyfriend, David Allman, recently sold their AirBnB to Callis, who already had several businesses. He owns a paintless dent repair business in Potosi, a short-term dumpster rental business and is a part-time EMT with the Taylor County Emergency Medical Service. Taryn and Ben know about juggling multiple jobs.
All Ben’s other responsibilities are put on the back burner when he is called out as a firefighter or an EMT. The part-time job with the Taylor County EMS is a paid position, while all Potosi firefighters are volunteers. It doesn’t matter to Ben.
Taryn understood that setting priorities was essential when she and David owned the AirBnB. It was a matter of keeping all scheduled firefighter duties–training, administrative work and maintenance–on a calendar while waiting for a call out. They’re willing to do that because serving others is a way of life for Ben and Taryn and other volunteer firefighters.
Taryn, now 48, felt called to join the Potosi Volunteer Fire Department in 2014 and was promoted to Lieutenant in 2021. Her father is retired after serving over 30 years with the Shreveport Fire Department. A brother, who is in law enforcement, has both police and fire credentials.
When Taryn and David owned the AirBnB, she was always aware of the app on her phone and that it could alert her at any time that she was needed at the fire station. Sometimes, she didn’t wait for an alert.
“If there is a major incident, we work proactively to head to the station and be on standby in case we are needed,” she said.
Taryn, Ben and the other 20-plus crew at the Potosi VFD answer roughly 30 calls per month, mainly traffic accidents and grassfires. They are all dedicated to their job–even when they’re in the middle of another job.
“We are a group of dedicated volunteers that have the desire to help our fellow neighbors out in their time of need,” Taryn said. “We uphold the mentality of protecting and saving life and property.”
