At age 54, Ron Reavis has shed his heavy protective fire coat, tossed his fire helmet, and taken off  his fire boots. He retired.
Not exactly. The retirement won’t last too long.
Ron and his wife are in the process of raising 6-year-old son Jacob who some day may carry on the Reavis’ legacy which began with his father.
The father, Forest Reavis, is a retired water meter reader for the City of Augusta and he was a member of the volunteer fire department a few decades ago.
“Dad drove a city truck which had red lights behind the grill. When he answered a call, he took a 55-gallon barrel of water to the fire scene,” recalls Ron. “For a little kid like me that was awesome.”
In 1975, Ron became a paid firefighter in the local safety department after he was hired by former fire chief Tom Carpenter.
He worked as a county emergency officer from late 1976 into early 1977.
The next career stop was becoming  “a rookie fireman” with the Sedgwick County Fire Department, but he remained part of the Augusta’s volunteer firefighting  force.
Reavis became a lieutenant with Sedgwick County in 1981. He was promoted to captain in 1985, and named division chief in 1995.
He retired from the division chief post on June 21. Son Jacob spent that last night of duty with Ron at the county station in Haysville.
Ron’s 31 years of service was saluted at a reception by the Sedgwick County Fire Department.
Firefighting is an occupation filled with sights of smoke and flames.
Ron’s memories include the loss of two youngsters in a house fire where the flames were “wall to wall, floor to ceiling.” The father was home and the mother was at work. Ron and fellow firefighters shielded the terribly burned bodies of the children as they were removed from the fire scene after the mother arrived.
One of his greatest scares in the field was at an oil tank fire where flammable liquids flashed his face after portals were opened.
Ron’s worst injury was a broken toe sustained from a dropped pry bar. He’s also had numerous minor burns.
He was at the scene of the Haysville tornado, the De Bruce Grain elevator collapse, and last summer’s fire at the Barton Solvents plant in Valley Center.
“We were in the thick of it at Barton,” said Ron, “where things were happening.  We found a way to put out the flames by cooling the burning tanks and then using a foam application.”
As a local volunteer, he’s also worked seen duty at some major fire scenes in this community like the a summer fire in the 600 block of State, a frigid winter fire in the 400 block of State, motor vehicle accidents, house and mobile home fires, and a fire at a homicide scene.
For this he was recognized locally as “Fireman of the Year” and has received meritorious awards from Sedgwick County.
He’s seen a lot in 31 years.
Sound has attracted Ron, who enjoys music and compact discs. He’s the one-man force behind High Voltage, an audio amplification business for large and small gatherings, festivals, parties, receptions, car shows, and other events primarily in south central Kansas.
Ron began developing this business sideline about 15 years ago. There’s a steady demand for this service.
When he and Jacob aren’t paying “almost weekly” visits to the local fire station to check out the trucks and equipment, these two guys share in a household with three gals - mother Teresa and teenage sisters Leah and Savannah. Teresa works for insuranceman Greg Johnson. Earlier this year, Johnson and his wife became the new owners of Prairie Rose near Benton.
In another month, Ron will be back at work - this time as a fire investigator for the nationally-known Unified Investigations and Sciences.