John Lynn was a rookie, only six months on the job, when a tornado hit Barrie in 1985.
He still recalls his shock at the mind-boggling devastation.
The memory of recovering some of the victims is a trauma that will never leave him.
"One of them was a child, so those kinds of things stick with you because I had young children of my own at the time."
But his nearly four-decade career had many rewards in the countless lives he saved and successful fires he fought.
"You help someone and they survive. It's a great feeling."
Fire fighting runs in Lynn's family.
His step-father was a 30-year firefighter in North York and his brother-in-law also spent time in the fire service.
Lynn began his career as a volunteer with the old Medonte Township fire department.
He joined the city of Barrie fire service 31 years ago and became chief in 2006.
On December 31, he will hang up his gear for good.
The 62-year old married father of four and grandfather of three says he's ready.
"I'm leaving at a good time. i think i'm leaving the department in good shape for the successor."
Lynn says the fire service recently settled a three-year collective agreement and the two newly hired deputies are "doing amazing."
The job ad for a new fire chief closed on October 13, although now the title is Director of Emergency Services.
Interviews are next and the city intends to have the new director in place before Lynn leaves to help with transition.
So much has changed since the young Lynn first answered the call.
Back then there were only 28 firefighters and two fire stations.
Now there are 144 firefighters and five stations.
Technology and the way they fight fires has also changed dramatically along with the number of services they provide.
Lynn says Barrie is going to go through another population explosion and the fire service needs a forward thinking person.
He advises his successor to be approachable with an open door policy and spend time with his or her firefighters.
The key is to be more strategic in planning the future.
Lynn's future once he retires will include working on his 145-year old house, travelling and spending time with his family.
And although he says he's starting to look forward to it, the good memories and the friends he's made, still tug at him.
"I'll definitely miss it."
