From cub reporter to fire chief
Long before Deputy Fire Chief Mike Bell was fighting fires, he was scanning the news wires and re-writing press releases. Bell was a cub reporter, the other noble profession.
He didn't go far in journalism and instead headed for a career in the fire service. In September, Bell will be promoted to fire chief, leading a department of 125 employees.
Bell's father, Bill Bell was a career journalist and although retired, he still writes occasionally for the Whittier Daily News, a Daily Bulletin sister paper. Mike Bell wanted to follow in his father's footsteps, a chip off the old block kinda thing.
He took a journalism class in college and his first assignment was to write an obituary. (Are there any reporters out there whose first story was not an obit?) Bell, an aspiring sports reporter at the time, picked a sports figure to write about. Bell's professor told him sports is not journalism and gave him an F.
Sports is of course, journalism. Sports writers win Pulitzers. It was too bad that Bell followed his professor's advice. But his story is now inspiring.
Maybe I can still be a fire fighter and work my way up to become Rancho's first female fire chief. When I retire, I'll run for City Council. It'll come full circle. There's hope for me yet.
He didn't go far in journalism and instead headed for a career in the fire service. In September, Bell will be promoted to fire chief, leading a department of 125 employees.
Bell's father, Bill Bell was a career journalist and although retired, he still writes occasionally for the Whittier Daily News, a Daily Bulletin sister paper. Mike Bell wanted to follow in his father's footsteps, a chip off the old block kinda thing.
He took a journalism class in college and his first assignment was to write an obituary. (Are there any reporters out there whose first story was not an obit?) Bell, an aspiring sports reporter at the time, picked a sports figure to write about. Bell's professor told him sports is not journalism and gave him an F.
Sports is of course, journalism. Sports writers win Pulitzers. It was too bad that Bell followed his professor's advice. But his story is now inspiring.
Maybe I can still be a fire fighter and work my way up to become Rancho's first female fire chief. When I retire, I'll run for City Council. It'll come full circle. There's hope for me yet.
Leave a comment