The City of Ardmore did not have to look far to find a new assistant director for Community Development.

As a fire marshal with the Ardmore Fire Department, Tim Lee had worked closely with Community Development. When the time came to leave the fire department, the assistant director position had come open and Lee jumped at the opportunity.

“It all just works hand-in-hand,” he said.

Lee was with the fire department for over 34 years. He spent 25 of those years on the trucks before moving into an office as the fire marshal.

“Since we started keeping records, I stayed at the fire department longer than any other employee.” Lee said. “There is a plaque on the wall that dates back to the 1900s. I am sure I have stayed longer than anyone has stayed down there.”

Lee said it is kind of odd to look up and realize that everyone you worked with and looked up to when you joined the department are gone.

“It is a young man ‘s game,” he said. “Even when you do move up in the ranks, those late-night calls still get you. You get up at three or four in the morning, when you were young, you weren’t so tired. Now, you need a nap for sure.”

Despite all his years in the profession, Lee did not grow up intending to become a firefighter. He joined the Navy and part of his job was that of a firefighter. He left the service and applied for a job with the Ardmore Fire Department.

“I just loved being a firefighter all my life, I sure have,” he said. “You see a lot of people having a really bad day and you get to come in there and help them. It is a really rewarding job.”

Lee said moving into the position of fire marshal allowed him to extend his career with the service. While it is an 8 to 5 office job in theory, there could be calls at any time of the day or night to investigate the cause of a fire.

“I really loved being a fire marshal,” he said. “You didn’t get to see the direct effect of helping people, but you knew you were doing a lot of good when you were making sure all the codes were right on the buildings.”

Lee said the pension at the fire department tops out at 35 years. He had over 34 years with the next closest individual having been Scott Richards, who left with 31 years under his belt. He left five months short of reaching the full 35 years and said he would have been ready to leave, regardless of when the Community Development job came open. The fact he had such a close working relationship with Director Jessica Scott and other office personnel just made it an easy decision to move his office across town.

“I’m sure somebody will get the whole 35 before long,” he said. “Working in the fire marshal’s office, I worked very closely with code services with all the building construction. We get all our planning and all of our plan reviews and building development. I worked really closely with these guys, so it was a smooth transition coming over here. It is just all the things that I was doing all translated really nice over here.

“The City of Ardmore has been great to work for all these years. I have always enjoyed working for the city and that was another big plus, I got to continue working for the city.”

Lee moved over to Community Development just over two weeks ago and has been working on adjusting to his new job. One of the differences is the amount of activity that takes place.

He said the biggest adjustment is understanding the computer system and working with the public more.

“They do a lot of good over here, they keep the city looking good,” Lee said.

He still finds the time to visit the fire department, heading over weekly to get a cup of coffee and catch up.

“It is a good thing, you can always do that,” he said. “You don’t miss the job as much as you miss the guys. It is a pretty close-knit bunch.”

Scott said the fire department’s loss is Community Development’s gain and that she is excited to have him on the team.

“Due to his experience as Ardmore’s Fire Marshal, he has an extensive knowledge of city and state building codes,” Scott said. “While working for the city, Tim has built relationships with both citizens and building owners. He and I have been working together for years, so he is well-versed in how this department operates.

“He’s going to be a great fit and we are fortunate he’s joining us.”