Fireman for life
Jonathan Blundell
Staff writer
Friends, family and Dallas area first responders are mourning the loss of Todd Bell of Italy.
The 33-year-old firefighter died Friday at Baylor Hospital in Dallas from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident around 8 a.m.
Bell was on his way home from work, where he lived out his greatest passion in life.
“From the time he was old enough to walk, he had a fire engine in his hand,” Bell’s brother Clifford McDaniel said. “He absolutely loved what he did and loved helping people.”
Family members said Bell ran his own volunteer fire department long before he was even old enough to drive.
“He had his own little fire department he and his friend called the West End Fire Department,” Bell’s niece Michele Stephens said. “He and his friends would pull a little red wagon with a water hose in tow around the neighborhood looking for fires.”
He quickly made friends with two firefighters in the neighborhood who taught him a lot about the tools of the trade.
“When he was 6 he was always listening for the fire alarms going off in town,” Bell’s mother Bertie Bell said. “I could call him and call him to come inside and he’d never hear me, but if that alarm went off, he sprung into action. Even in the middle of the night he’d hear the alarm and run outside, jump over the fence and wake the two firefighters in our neighborhood.
“He just loved the fire department. He made friends with every firefighter he could and they would let him come and help clean the trucks and help around the station. He could tell you everything about everything on the engines and why the firefighters do what they do,” Bertie said.
As soon as Bell was old enough, he began hanging around the Italy Volunteer Fire Department and soon began volunteering with the heroes he had admired his whole life.
“He wanted to help people and always talked about helping people,” Bertie said. “He felt it was a huge honor.”
As Bell became more active in Italy’s VFD, he also made friends with Italy Police Chief Shana Miller, who became a second mother to Bell.
“He would ride out with me all the time and do the most silly things. He loved to tease,” Miller said. “And he was always looking for something to do. One night I was 10 minutes away from getting off my shift at 3 a.m. when Bell spotted a black horse wandering loose. I was ready to go home and knowing Bell, I didn’t believe him, but sure enough, Bell was right and we had to go round up the horse before we could head home.”
Bell would later graduate from the Police Academy and serve a year as a policeman before returning to firefighting.
“One night Bell was visiting me when a big storm blew through,” Miller said. “We had a call for a late night accident. And when we responded Bell was left in the car alone. Another officer and I were on the scene when two large semi’s flew by. It scared Bell crazy and I remember him singing, ‘Nearer My God to Thee.’ He thought for sure he was about to die.”
Family and friends said it would be hard to pinpoint one thing they would miss the most about Bell.
“I’ll miss him calling on the phone,” Escamilla said.
“I’ll miss his hugs,” Miller said.
“I’ll miss the comfort he gave and his smiles,” Childress said.
“I’m going to miss his love,” Bertie said. “He was very loving. He made me feel so very special.”
“He made everyone feel special,” Miller chimed in.
“He just loved helping people,” Bertie said. “He didn’t brag or boast about it, he just did it.”
But it was his overall joy of life and mischievous nature that several family members and friends said they’d likely miss most.
“He was always sweet to his mother,” Bell’s fiancée Jennifer Childress said. “But every football Sunday he would call his mom and pick on her about the Cowboys. He said he hated the Cowboys, but I think it was just to get at his mom who is a huge Cowboys’ fan.”
Childress said Bell also changed his college allegiance after meeting her.
“He was always a big Aggie fan,” Childress said. “And he would pick on my allegiance to the Longhorns. But some time after meeting me he went out and bought a Longhorn sweatshirt of his own just because of me.”
Miller said that was just the way Bell was.
“He was a loyal friend,” Miller said. “And you were his friend no matter what. He never met a stranger and he would do anything for you.”
“He never had to be asked twice to do anything for anyone,” lifelong friend Jason Escamilla said.
Along with Italy, Bell volunteered at a number of area departments including Dallas County and Combine. He also worked part-time at Glen Heights Fire Department.
Family members said Bell would volunteer anywhere there was a need.
“He had his radio constantly scanning volunteer departments and would always be ready to help when help was needed,” Bertie said.
Waxahachie resident Matt Lehmann first met Bell at Dallas County where the two often partnered on calls.
“We had so much fun together,” Lehmann said. “We would always go to as many ‘Dollar-Hot-Dog Nights’ at the Rangers game and see who could eat the most hot dogs. By the end of the night the score would always be something like 17-13 and Bell would always win.”
Lehmann recalled numerous calls the two went on while serving with the Dallas County Volunteer Fire Department and later working with the Hutchins Fire Department.
“I remember one night we were called out to a structure fire in south Dallas County,” Lehmann said. “When we arrived there were a number of guys standing around drinking beer and watching a manufactured home burn. While Bell went to charge the lines, I went to clear the way so we could put out the fire that was burning directly under overhead powerlines. The guys standing in the street were upset that we had come to put out the fire. They said they had bought the property and were burning the building down so they could build something new.”
While Lehmann called for backup from Dallas County Sheriffs, Bell continued to try to calm the group that continued growing angrier and threatened to grow violent.
“Bell was always calm and had a calm presence about him on scene,” Lehmann said. “But I had no doubt that he always had my back. He was ready to charge the lines and spray the group down when he saw that the group was threatening me.
“When we heard those sirens coming, I don’t think there was any greater sound in the world,” Lehmann said laughing. “We had four squad cars on the scene in minutes and the group quickly dispersed.”
“Another night we wanted to run up to the nearby 7-11 for some snacks,” Lehmann said. “I think it was Bell’s idea to take the department’s golf cart rather than an engine. We took off in the golf cart and got the strangest looks from a couple cops and sheriff’s deputies when they saw the two of us pull up at 7-11 at 2 in the morning on a golf cart.”
Bell graduated from the Kilgore Fire Academy and went to work for Kilgore Fire Department before returning to the Metroplex.
He was employed with Hutchins Fire Department and Rescue Squad in Irving at the time of his death.
He also owned and operated Dallas CPR and First Aide and worked as an umpire for Texas Teenage Baseball.
He had plans to attend paramedic school in the near future and was planning to marry his fiancée in October.
“He’s touched everybody with his life,” Childress said. “When I got the call Friday I thought this was my thing, but my entire family was effected by this. He made his mark on everyone he met. When he came into my life he changed it. He was just so calming and comforting.”
He is survived by his mother, Bertie Bell of Italy; children, Brittany Leighann and Felicia Renee Bell; step children, Amber, Chase and Cole Fieber of Combine, Texas and Blake Fieber of Colorado; two grandchildren; fiancée, Jennifer Childress of Dallas; brothers, Clifford McDaniel of Italy and Michael Bell of Gun Barrel City, Texas; sister, Lisa Wafer of Wortham, Texas; one aunt, Wilma Hanks of Italy and honorary mother, Shana Miller of Italy; numerous nieces and nephews. Todd was preceded in death by his father, and two brothers, Robert Bell, Jr. and Rob Bell.
A full firefighter’s service for Bell will be held today at 3:30 p.m. in the Boze-Mitchell-McKibbin Chapel in Italy, with the Rev. Ronnie Dabney and Chaplain Scott Chadwick officiating.
Interment will follow in the Italy Cemetary.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Todd Bell Memorial Fund at Citizens National Bank.
