By Hannah Ball
Tri-County Times
Holly — Surrounded by family, friends and industry professionals, Holly Village Fire Chief Steve McGee said goodbye to the fire service on Tuesday, Nov. 21 at the Holly Village Fire Department.
McGee is retiring after more than 49 years in fire emergency service.
“I have over 49 years of service and feel it’s time to focus on family and travel. We have a wonderful team with great ideas and look forward to seeing the department progress to the next level,” he said. “While shocked at first, they understand the team is well-trained and very qualified to offer our residents, businesses and visitors the best possible service and care. I am happy to be leaving the community in very capable hands.”
Jeremy Watson, fire marshal, building inspector, code enforcement and rental inspector for the village of Holly, was named fire chief on Nov. 14.
The village held a party for McGee at the fire station on Tuesday, Nov. 21 where his friends and colleagues congratulated and honored him.
Oakland County Commissioner Bob Hoffman presented McGee with a certificate for his service.
April Brandon, Holly Village pro-tem, presented him with a plaque from Holly Village for his faithful and dedicated service to the community.
“Just thanks,” McGee told the crowd, adding that the fire service is “exciting and rewarding.”
McGee said he was fortunate to have his mom as a mentor and that he knew he could do it because of her.
McGee’s life in the fire service began at age 15 when he hung around the fire station after his mother, Merilyn McGee, joined the Groveland Township Fire Department as a volunteer in 1974. She became Michigan’s first full-time female fire chief in 1984. Steve McGee became a cadet firefighter at age 16.
As a 16-year-old, it was exciting to ride in the fire trucks and assist on brush fires and eventually progressed into the realization that our care was invaluable during our residents’ life-changing emergencies,” he said.
McGee became fire chief of the Groveland Township Fire Department in 2001. Holly Village and Groveland joined forces in 2008 for the Groveland management team, McGee said, and he began as chief of Holly Village at that time. He was hired as the Holly Village fire chief full-time on July 1, 2018 when he retired from Groveland Township. He served as fire chief and building official in the village of Holly from July 1, 2018 until this past month.
One of his favorite things about his job as a firefighter was making improvements in controlling the spread of fire and emergency response.
“As I progressed through the ranks, my value became helping people through difficult times, many times the worst they’d ever experienced,” he said.
The historic downtown Holly fire on June 21, 2022 was one of the most memorable fires. McGee coordinated more than 200 firefighters from 19 different fire departments.
“There have also been many other memorable events over the years,” he said.
One significant change in fire service over these last 49 years is the increased concern for fire personnel safety. Firefighters wear more protective gear and use upgraded technology.
McGee’s accomplishments include assisting in implementing MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) in Oakland County, lowering ISO insurance rates for residents, obtaining numerous grants, partnering with multiple emergency medical services organizations, coordinating station improvements, remodeling the fire department and more.
Holly Village Police Chief Jerry Narsh honored McGee on Tuesday.
“He’s a very humble guy and he won’t talk about his accolades, but what he’s been able to do in the fire services from Groveland to here, and I think some other locations, is phenomenal,” he said. “He’s someone that people go to and in this business, that says a lot about the character of the person.”
“I joke all the time that watching him work during the devastating fire that we had downtown, just the level of knowledge and expertise, it was like watching Michelangelo paint. He knew what he was doing, he knew where the fire was going, how he was going to fight it,” Narsh said.
He said they’re looking forward to Watson taking over as fire chief but “it’s tough” to lose an expert like McGee.
“He’s a legend,” Narsh said. “What an incredible man to work with.”
McGee’s mother Merilyn McGee said, “He’s done a phenomenal job. I am proud of him. He excelled at whatever he did.”
“We ended up being a team,” she said. “What’s amazing is being able to work with your son as a peer and not just as a parent. It was fun.”
It was hard watching him go into dangerous situations including one time when a burning house collapsed with McGee inside on the second story. When asked if she ever wanted to ask him to stop, she said no because she was there with him.
“I knew he knew his stuff. I trusted him. He thought everything out. Everything had a reason and a plan. He went by the theory, ‘stop, think, get control,’” she said.
She gives credit to her son for initiating multiple projects in the Groveland and Holly area that improved emergency services for residents.
Ray Ahonen, director of emergency services at BELFOR Property Restoration, said he met McGee in May 1978 at a firefighter school in Ann Arbor.      “You could just tell that there was something special about Steve McGee,” he said.