The last member of a long line of firefighters steps down Monday after a career that spanned two states and more than three decades.
Longview Fire Battalion Chief Troy Buzalsky is leaving happy and healthy, he said, with time to enjoy his retirement — a privilege his former firefighting brother is currently experiencing and his father never had. Buzalsky’s father was a firefighter for nearly all his life, and second in command at a Eugene department and fire chief in Edmonds, Washington.
Clarence Buzalsky — who went by the nickname “Buzz,” even on business cards — died at age 54 in 1994 from “fire-service-related cancer,” while still serving, his son said. Buzz’s two boys are nearly as old as their dad when he passed away.