ELLY GRIMM

    • Leader & Times

The Liberal Fire Department does great work every day and recently, one of the members of the department's leadership was honored for his work.

Battalion Chief Jose Torres was named the 2026 Kansas Association of Fire Chiefs Training Chief of the Year at a recent conference attended by the department. Torres has been with the department since 2003.

"I started with the Liberal Fire Department in 2003 as a volunteer firefighter, and then I got on as a full-time firefighter in July 2003, and I've been working my way up the department since then to Battalion Chief, where I am now," Torres said. "Before moving to the battalion chief position, I was a captain for several years. I really enjoy the training aspect of being a battalion chief, and I enjoy seeing the guys' progress through everything – a lot of guys, when they start, need a bit of a push, but they gain a lot of knowledge and skills as they get Firefighter 1 and then Firefighter 2 and all of those certifications. I've been the battalion chief since April 2025, so I've been about a year and a half in that role – it's different because before, there wasn't really a training officer position, and I'm still learning some myself, which I think is really exciting."

And as Torres tells it, his initial introduction to the department came about in a slightly odd way.

"Before I started with the LFD, I worked at a gym in town. One of the requirements for firefighters is to put in at least an hour of workout time every day, and I met some of the firefighters as they came in and did their stuff," Torres said. "More than once, I had someone come in and ask if I'd be interested in joining the department, so I came and talked to Kelly Kirk and I came on as a volunteer. Being a volunteer, I found I really liked being in this line of work, which is really a calling. Eventually, there came a full-time opening, and I applied and ultimately got it."

Torres said the conference ceremony ended up being a very special experience.

"Being rather new to this position, I wasn't really expecting anything like this. I'd gone to the conference in Kansas City and since I've only been in this role for about a year and a half, I was really surprised by everything. I was at the ceremony, and one of the first awards was for Training Chief of the Year, which I thought was pretty cool and I remember thinking 'I'd like to maybe win that at some point,'" Torres said. "A couple minutes later, my name is on the screen as the honoree, and I was looking at the guys who went with me and they were excited for me. The little speech began by saying the honoree had started as a volunteer in 2003 and was talking about some of my other accomplishments, so it took a little bit to fully realize it was me they were talking about. Then I looked around and saw my wife and daughter and in-laws and Chief Kirk cheering for me and again, I was just super surprised with it all. It's still sinking in somewhat, and I told my guys later on 'This might have my name on it, but this was not just my work.' We've got a great chief, great lieutenants and other firefighters here, and I feel like we're going in a great direction. I've always been a person who avoids being directly in the spotlight, I've always preferred the more behind-the-scenes work. I like helping people and doing everything else with my job, but I've always been the type of person to do my job and then go on about everything else. This honor is a great reflection on the department – yes, the plaque has my name on it, but it's not just about me, it's about the work all the guys do whether they're here or out on a call."

Torres added the firefighters are constantly keeping busy.

"I want to set a good foundation for the training officer position. This is still a newish role, so we're working on setting up expectations and everything else for the guys when they first start, whether they're getting their Firefighter 1 or 2 certification or some other certification," Torres said. "We're always looking for other certifications and specialties because even though we're called the fire department, there's always a lot of extra work we do. There's rope rescue, technical rescue, extrication, trench rescue, structural collapse rescue, and much, much more. We're always working to keep ahead with all of that, and we're always looking for new training opportunities. We've also been bringing in more trainings, especially from the University of Kansas, and it's important for those to be available to the western side of the state. One of the trainings we'll be bringing in later this month is a wildland fire class, and we're bringing that in because we're in that kind of area, and there are some of those fires we've already had to deal with earlier this year. We're also getting a new truck soon, so it's important we have that training. A class we'll be bringing in in April will be a leadership class, and that will be more for the officers. We just did a trench rescue class in September, which went really well for the guys for the week that was here. I'm really excited to continue looking for those trainings because we can never know too much."

Overall, Torres said, he is very honored to have been recognized.

"It's a great honor, and like I said, it's all about setting a good foundation. Someday, someone else will be in this position, and I want that person to have a good foundation in terms of working with the guys and building what's already been done," Torres said. "I'm really honored to have been recognized like this, and I'm looking forward to just keeping on and doing my job with the guys here at the department. We're always busy and we're always ready to help out when we're needed."