Remembering Jim Glover, Newton Township Fire Department’s long-time fire chief
LICKING COUNTY (WCMH) — The Newton Township Fire Department in Licking County honored their long-time chief, 70-year-old Jim Glover, who died from a heart attack after helping with several water rescues last weekend. He was the first line of duty death in the department’s history. Glover’s funeral procession was much smaller than previous firefighter’s processions because of the coronavirus outbreak, but […]
LICKING COUNTY (WCMH) — The Newton Township Fire Department in Licking County honored their long-time chief, 70-year-old Jim Glover, who died from a heart attack after helping with several water rescues last weekend.
He was the first line of duty death in the department’s history.
Glover’s funeral procession was much smaller than previous firefighter’s processions because of the coronavirus outbreak, but his family and fire brothers and sisters say they’re glad they could still honor him.
“He made us tough. It’s what we’ve been talking about all week,” said Glover’s granddaughter Amber Bradley. “We were really saddened with the situation we had to be put in with the pandemic that’s going on, but it means the world for everything that everyone has done. It would mean the world to him.”
Newton Township’s Assistant Fire Chief Douglas Smith said they had to come up with a safe way to have the procession for their long-time leader.
“We were able to come up with a way while still trying to mind the social distancing and everything to honor him,” Smith said.
In 1967, Glover joined the United States Marine Corps and served two tours in the Vietnam War where he earned three purple hearts.
For nearly 50 years after the war, he worked as a Newton Township firefighter and 25 of those years as the chief. He served all while continuing to help others like Smith who’s known Chief Glover since he was six years old.
“He’s been a mentor to a lot of people,” Smith said. “He’s the reason a lot of us have full-time jobs and got started in the fire business.”
Now, they salute to say thank you to Glover’s family for sharing a man who his family says always wanted to leave a situation better than he found it.
“Actions speak louder than words and that’s all we’ve seen and I’m grateful for that,” Bradley said. “He made sure that he impacted this community and touched everybody’s lives, and we’re so thankful they’re trying to help us too now. Hopefully they take what he gave them and keep that strength and courage and shine in through this community and keep it going.”
Flags in the county will be at half staff to remember Chief Glover and also retired Sergeant George Croom with the Licking County Sheriff’s Office who also died this past weekend.
